Betrothed
by Kairen-Cirrus
Summary: Ciel is now 18 years old, and it's time to consummate his engagement to Elizabeth. Although everyone, including himself, agrees it's an appropriate match, Ciel can't help but dread the upcoming ceremony.  One particular butler isn't helping the issue...
1. Sponsales

**Disclaimer:** Kuroshitsuji and all of its characters are property of Toboso Yana.

_This is my first attempt at fanfiction~ Reviews are appreciated. Please enjoy~!_

_Sponsales means "Betrothal" in Latin_

**Sponsales**

"Sebastian." Ciel called out to his raven butler from behind a mass of papers. In an instant he was by his side, ready to service whatever command was spoken.

"My lord?" Sebastian could see how anxious Ciel was. His calm, composed exterior might fool others, but he and the young Earl had grown close enough that Sebastian could not be fooled with such superficial lies.

For a little while, Ciel said nothing. In reality, he had nothing he really wanted to say. Merely saying Sebastian's name calmed him a bit, and he appreciated having the demon so close by. Lately, he yearned more for Sebastian's nearness as he was quite stressed by the upcoming wedding.

Ciel had recently turned eighteen and it was finally time for the consummation of the betrothal between Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Middleford, the daughter of Marquis and Marchioness Middleford, and he, the Earl Ciel Phantomhive, son of the late Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive. Their betrothal had been only logical. Two noble families, eager to join their blood and riches, both conveniently with children of about the same age, it was only natural that Ciel and Elizabeth be betrothed. Their marriage would expand both of their respective families' business empires, create deeper connections between the nobles they associated with, and would honor both families with prestige and recognition. Ciel had seen his upcoming marriage as little more than a business arrangement. He had always known that he would marry Elizabeth when the time came, and as a child, he had accepted that with little question. Only recently was the engagement beginning to gnaw at his insides, though he couldn't place the reason why. He dismissed the notion that it could be pre-wedding jitters. He was not the sort of person to be nervous or anxious about anything, and he knew somehow that there was a deeper reason for his discomfort. As he scoured his mind for that reason, he was reminded of the patient presence at his right side, waiting eagerly for a command.

"Sebastian, I..." Ciel still had no words. And such hesitation was unbecoming of a man like him.

Sebastian took the initiative to speak. The worry and anxiety was etched so clearly on Ciel's features, he could taste them.

"Is my lord nervous about the wedding?" With a smirk, Sebastian asked the one foolish question he already knew the answer to. Before the words ever left his lips he could vision Ciel's reaction. He would scoff, shoot him an annoyed frown, then berate him for being ridiculous. Though Ciel had aged, the nature of their relationship had changed very little. They both still loved teasing the other, finding ways to poke and prod at the other's sensibilities. Only with time, their teasing had become less vindictive and held an air of trust. As Ciel matured, he saw Sebastian as less of a pawn and came to depend on his company, his counsel. Sebastian thought of Ciel as prey less and less and even came to dote on him slightly. He had to admit that Ciel was the most interesting human he had ever served. He wanted desperately to know more about his charge, something he had not bothered with in previous contracts. Sebastian found himself wanting to know what drove Ciel, what made him tick, what he desired. Currently, what Ciel desired was answers.

"Don't be a fool, Sebastian. The wedding itself is nothing to be nervous about." Sebastian smiled knowingly. He knew his lord well.

"Then are you afraid of what the wedding symbolizes?" Sebastian felt he knew the answer to Ciel's anxiety. But as always, he wanted to hear Ciel admit to his suspicions.

Ciel gave no immediate reply. He looked into his tea cup, softly simmering upon his desk, floating in elegant Wedgwood China. He wasn't afraid, he knew. At least, he wasn't afraid of the wedding, nor what it symblized, nor who he was marrying. As his thoughts began to consume him, he was brought back by the sound of a carriage pulling into his home. He turned and glanced out of the window.

A beautiful young woman exited the carriage, her blonde curls wrapped neatly behind her head with a few stray curls stylishly falling into her elegant face. She held herself high, a woman of distinct nobility and grace. She gave a gentle smile as she looked up at the Phantomhive manor, seeing Ciel in the window of his office. She did not wave, she did not call out to him. She knew he saw her and the smile she gave was her recognition of that.

Ciel returned her smile through the window and gestured to Sebastian to greet her at the door properly. As he watched her approach his manor he honestly thought that she looked quite lovely. Elizabeth had grown into a fine lady, leaving her childish ways behind. She was no longer the energetic young girl who flew into his arms and demanded whatever she could from him. In most recent years, she hardly requested anything. It was unlady-like to do so. She spoke softly now, never yelling or calling out to him from afar. In the past few years she had molded herself into the perfect noblewoman, a shining example to her mother's credit. She would be the perfect bride, the perfect wife. She would bring no disgrace to her husband's home. Ciel shook his head. There was nothing about Elizabeth herself that worried him. But he was concerned for her safety, because she too would eventually join the dark underground of evil noblemen. Still, Ciel knew that that was not the source of his worries. And if that wasn't it, he was truly at a loss as to what made him apprehensive about the approaching wedding and why he dread it with every fiber of his being.


	2. Laus

**Disclaimer:** Kuroshitsuji and all of its characters are property of Toboso Yana.

_Elizabeth enters the scene. Poor dear. I should stop torturing her so much._

_Laus means "Praise/Approval" in Latin_

**Laus**

"Thank you Sebastian." Elizabeth smiled softly as she was handed her tea. Sebastian, ever dutiful, played his part perfectly. He bowed deeply then stood at the ready for his master to walk in the door. As the two of them waited for Ciel, an uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them.

In recent years, Elizabeth had felt that Sebastian was not all he seemed to be. In some ways, it was as if he almost disapproved of her. There was something sinister, something dark behind his smiles toward her and though she had never noticed such things as a child, she was honestly quite unnerved by his presence now. Being alone with him felt suffocating. She felt as though he were a vulture festering over her, waiting for her to die, to rot, before he could swoop in for the feast. She took care not to let her discomfort show, but she could feel his piercing scarlet gaze behind her, and she couldn't help but grip her tea cup more tightly.

Sebastian stood a slight ways behind Elizabeth's chair and gazed at her with even eyes. He admitted to himself that he was shocked at her transformation over the years. As a child, she had been unbearably annoying to him. She was loud, boorish, and he never quite forgave her for the bonnet incident. Back then, he simply could not approve of her engagement to Ciel. She would besmirch the Phantomhive name, he thought. She was such a disgraceful little being, a far cry from the lady she eventually became. But now...

Elizabeth shifted slightly in her chair, adjusting her ruffles. The movement filled the air with the sound of rustling fabric, before it was replaced by the suffocating silence yet again.

Now even Sebastian had to concede that she was a perfect match for Ciel. She had marvelously transformed herself into a gorgeous lady of prestige and grace. Sebastian smirked. Humans were so very interesting in that way. Through sheer willpower and social pressure alone, the clumsy child made the decision to be a respectable woman. She wanted to be the perfect woman for Ciel, so she worked hard to become that woman. She loved him deeply, he knew. But Sebastian could find no merit in her love for him. He could neither condone nor praise the blind faith she held in Ciel for it was wrapped in deception and lies. To this day, Elizabeth held dear to her heart the Ciel that disappeared eight years before. Sebastian could see how she longed for Ciel's gentle smile, the smile that reminded her of how happy he had ben as a boy. But that smile she longed for was false. Ciel had lost his joyous smile years ago. The only honest smiles he gave now were those filled with malice and triumph at the defeat of his enemies. When he smiled honestly, he smiled darkly. Only Sebastian ever saw Ciel's true smiles. Ciel could lie shamelessly to Elizabeth all he wanted, but his lord could not hide the truth from him in the same way.

In a way, he almost pitied her. All her effort for Ciel was in vain, because it was for a man that no longer existed except in her memory. She was right to be nervous around Sebastian, he thought. He knew the truth she was afraid to ask for. His mere presence was a constant reminder of the barrier she knew existed between herself and Ciel. If she wasn't nervous, then she was a simple-minded fool. But because she could at least infer that much about their relationship, Sebastian knew she wasn't a hopeless case completely unworthy of his master's time.

Still, even though she wasn't hopeless... Even though she had now made herself worthy... Sebastian found he still could not stand her presence. It surprised him, for his feelings were unprovoked. She had done nothing, said nothing to upset him. And yet for some reason, as she sat there waiting patiently in her chair for her fiancee, his lord, he found he wanted to be rid of her. He wanted nothing more than to cast her out of the mansion, away from Ciel.

As their thoughts wandered, Ciel at last entered the room, breaking the tension in the air. Elizabeth stood up by her chair to acknowledge his entrance, and Sebastian gave a curt bow. Ciel walked over and placed his hands on Elizabeth's chair, a gesture for the lady to sit back down. She complied with a thankful smile and Ciel made his way around her to sit at the chair opposite to hers. A steaming tea cup was placed dutifully in front of him.

"Elizabeth, what brings you here today?" His tone was even and held no trace of his earlier doubts.

"I've come to give my recommendations on the church for our ceremony." Elizabeth replied gently. She handed Ciel the envelope she held in her hand. In it, there were pictures of the various cathedrals available for their ceremony. All of them were placed in Westminster, and she had tastefully selected the five most fitting cathedrals. Ciel glanced at the photographs, but gave no real attention to any of them. He didn't care for the church, they all knew, so he could care even less for which specific church he would be married in.

"I'm afraid I'm completely ignorant on the issue, Elizabeth. Choose whichever cathedral best fits your fancy and I will concede that to be the location." Sebastian smiled knowingly at Ciel's response. In the end, his lord would fall into the darkest depths. No matter the church, he knew that neither he nor Ciel was welcome and that none of it mattered in the end. No church would hold more influence over his master than he himself. Elizabeth caught Sebastian's smirk from the corner of her eye and it irked her. But she spoke to Ciel as if she had not noticed. Choosing her words carefully, she decided to put Sebastian in his place. She knew Ciel better than he gave her credit for, and she suddenly felt the desire to prove it.

"I was drawn to the St. Clement Danes church to be honest," she admitted. Her statement wasn't a lie, but it wasn't completely honest. "It was where your parents were wed, Ciel."

Ciel raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth. Sebastian's smile fell. They hadn't expected that.

"It's a very beautiful building," Elizabeth continued. "The inside of it..."

"No." Ciel interrupted and Elizabeth looked at him carefully.

"I'm sorry Elizabeth." Ciel shot a glance at Sebastian as he spoke. "I misspoke earlier. You may choose any of the cathedrals except for that one." He gave no reasons, they were obvious. He looked at her steadily, his eyes neither warm nor cold. Elizabeth caught the change in Sebastian as well. He was looking at Ciel rather curiously now, and soon he turned his gaze onto Elizabeth. Elizabeth smiled inwardly at her slight triumph. Of couse, that had not been her first choice for the church. But she knew that Ciel would refuse it if she gave its history. In taking them by surprise, she felt more vidicated of her position in that room, and she was glad that Ciel had not gotten visibly upset.

"I'm sorry Ciel." She apologized without any real remorse. "Then how about St. Margaret's?"

Ciel nodded his head. "That's fine." He was uncomfortable now. He looked to Sebastian for a lifeline. He could not stand being in the room with Elizabeth any longer. Sebastian saw the unspoken request in Ciel's eyes and complied.

"Excuse me, my lady." Sebastian politely interjected. "But my lord has an engagement in London within a few hours and we must make preparations before our departure."

Elizabeth could see that Sebastian was lying. She glanced at Ciel and saw his relief in the lie his perfect butler had constructed. It took every ounce of her willpower not to narrow her eyes at Sebastian for his impudence.

"Of course." She finally said, forcing a gracious smile. She stood to leave and Ciel stood as well to escort her out. Elizabeth made a point to walk closer to Ciel than was necessary, standing in between Ciel and Sebastian. But even then she felt as though she had been boxed out of the invisble room that seemed to hold only the two, her fiancee and his raven-clad butler.

When Ciel finally helped her into her carriage, she gripped his hand tightly, holding onto it after she had already settled in. She looked at Ciel, who would not meet her eyes, and she quickly grew frustrated. She tugged gently at his hand in hers, an unspoken request for him to look at her. Ciel raised his head and his sapphire eyes met her emerald ones. She smiled gently with her lips while her eyes pleaded for more. Ciel returned the smile, but his eyes saw straight through her, not seeing her request. Elizabeth let go of Ciel's disdainful hand then and bowed her head. The carriage took off with a start. When they were off the Phantomhive grounds, Elizabeth ripped the photos in her hands to shreds, scattering them all over the floor of her carriage.

Ciel watched the carriage until it was out of sight, hoping that his discomfort would disappear over the horizon as the carriage did. But to his dismay, Elizabeth's visit had only aggravated his doubts from earlier that morning.

Sebastian watched Ciel intently as he stood there looking after lady Elizabeth's carriage. He looked carefully at Ciel's features. He looked positively regal standing there. Ciel had aged so gracefully, so handsomely. Whenever they were in London, Sebastian could see the longing stares of the women who wished to be his courtiers. He could see how his lord dismissed their presence without a second thought, a heartbreaker to the core. In many ways, Ciel resembled his late father Vincent but there were key differences in their features. The late Vincent Phantomhive could be described only as a handsome man, charismatic in every way. The current earl, however, this blossoming youth Ciel Phantomhive was hypnotically beautiful. Sebastian knew that he had fashioned himself into the image of a handsome man in his current form. It wasn't a far cry from his true demon form in all honesty, but knowing the advantages a handsome vestige would bring, Sebastian had purposefully made himself into what he considered one of the most attractive men. Indeed there had been a few times when he had been able to use his appearance to his advantage to get whatever information he needed. But there were times when he gazed at Ciel, and he considered his false form to be pale and meager in comparison to his lord's beauty. The beauty Sebastian had fashioned for himself was a lie. But the beauty of his master was as genuine as could be, and that honesty made it all the more alluring. It was somewhat appropriate, he thought. The butler should not outshine his master, after all.

Finally Ciel turned to go back into his mansion. He caught Sebastian eyeing him hungrily.

"Careful, Sebastian. Your eyes just might pop right out of that head of yours." Ciel smirked. When he was younger, that look of Sebastian used to unnerve him. But now he found it inviting, a challenge. It made him feel wanted, desirable. He hadn't ever told Sebastian, but he enjoyed that gaze of his. He found comfort in those blazing ruby eyes. Still he felt that on some level, there was no need to say such things aloud. Sebastian understood.

"My apologies, my lord." An insincere apology left his lips, and Sebastian did not lower his eyes. He kept them fixated on Ciel, garnet orbs boring into sapphire pools. Sebastian continued to stare and Ciel allowed it, reveling in their connection. Ciel felt his right eye tingle under the patch. He wondered if Sebastian felt the heat on his hand.

Ciel broke contact first, turning his gaze to the sky.

"Ready my horse, Sebastian."

"My lord?"

"I want to go for a ride."

"Shouldn't you change first, my lord? You're hardly dressed for riding."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going back into the manor right now. If you're so intent on having me change, you'll have to do it out here." It was a tease. Sebastian had stopped dressing Ciel for a few years now. Ciel had ordered him away three years ago when he felt his body changing, growing, and longing for the butler's gentle touch. He had started feeling vulnerable baring his skin to Sebastian. More than that, he wanted to feel Sebastian's skin against his own. Striking his feelings to hormonal changes and the onset of adolescence, Ciel began to dress himself and gave no more thought to it after that. But whenever he caught Sebastian staring at him that way, he felt himself yearning for him again and knew he could no longer attribute it to adolescence. He also knew that on some level, Sebastian yearned for his touch as well. He had been quite morose when Ciel had declared he would dress himself from now on, and more than ever Sebastian seemed to look for excuses to touch him.

"That seems inappropriate, my lord." Sebastian replied at last. Though he could not deny there was a certain appeal to the offer.

"Then do as I command and stop asking questions." Sebastian didn't take the bait. Ciel knew he wouldn't. But it was fun to tease.

"Yes, my lord."


	3. Libere Dicere

**Disclaimer:** Kuroshitsuji and all of its characters are property of Toboso Yana.

_I really enjoyed writing the end of this chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it. ^_^_

_Libere Dicere means "To Speak Freely" in Latin_

**Libere Dicere**

Ciel had come to love riding. It was the best way to clear his head. The wind blazed through his hair, the ground rumbled beneath the falling hooves of his steed, and Ciel Phantomhive felt as free as he could ever feel. He wasn't Elizabeth's fiancee, he wasn't the Queen's watchdog, he wasn't Sebastian's prey. He was simply a young man riding to nowhere, enjoying the feel of the speed with which he passed the world by.

But after a while he could feel his horse beginning to tire beneath him, and so he pulled up to a nearby creek and dismounted, allowing his bearer a moment's respite. Ciel patted him gently as he drank, and he marveled at his equine companion. He was a truly marvelous stallion. His coat was a glossy blue-black color, shimmering in the fading sunlight. Sebastian had selected him several years ago just in time for a brilliant hunt with the Marchioness. At the time, Ciel had his suspicions about where the horse had come from. It seemed too perfect, he thought, when he saw his raven-clad butler ushering along an ebony steed as black as night. Surely it wasn't some demon steed from hell? Ciel laughed to himself. Well, regardless of where the horse had come from, he was a brilliant companion and an excellent carrier of the Earl.

As Ciel ran his fingers through the horse's mane, he was amazed at the silky softness running through his fingers. The horse neighed softly, enjoying the pampering of his rider. Ciel briefly wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through the obsidian locks of one other subservient creature. His hand stopped abruptly in its ministrations as the thought passed through his mind.

"I must be barking mad..." he muttered.

"I'd have to agree if you're talking to yourself in the woods, my lord." The silky voice of Sebastian crept into his ear and Ciel shuddered before distancing himself slightly.

"Why did you follow me out here?"

"I came to you because you wanted me to." There was laughter in his voice. He knew Ciel hadn't explicity called for him, but he could sense when his lord desired his presence, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Ciel could only frown. Unfortunately, he knew his butler had a knack for being honest. It was a quality in him that he cherished, but at times, it could be quite infuriating. And he could not deny Sebastian's claim. He had, in some deep corner of his mind, wanted him to be near.

"What made you venture out so far, my lord?" Ciel mounted his horse and Sebastian obediently took the reins to guide the horse back home.

"That's not really any of your concern." Ciel had little patience for Sebastian's questions at the moment. He had not wanted to be interrupted when he was, and he knew Sebastian was pressing his buttons on purpose to make up for Ciel's earlier teasing.

"My apologies."

They rode back in silence after that as Ciel tried desperately to get his thoughts in order. The steady clack of hooves kept a wonderful rhythm, but it wasn't enough to distract Ciel from his distress. Ciel watched Sebastian as he led his horse. He had come to trust Sebastian over the years. He was his confidant, was he not? It would be a simple matter to merely have a discussion with him over his anxieties.

"Sebastian," Ciel spoke at last. "What is your opinion of my marriage?" It was an open-ended question. Sebastian would likely dodge around saying all that he felt, but Ciel could ask for specifics if he wanted them. He offered the question to give Sebastian a chance to speak freely.

"It is a perfectly appropriate match between two renowned noble families. It will bring honor to both your houses, and will benefit both families financially as well."

"Those are facts, Sebastian. They are not your opinions. I am offering the chance to speak your mind. I want to hear _your_ thoughts."

Sebastian smirked. "Why does my lord wish to know my opinion on the matter? Regardless of what I say or think, the course of action for you is clear."

"Regardless, I want to hear you speak. Is it so wrong for me to want to hear the opinion of my subordinate?" Sebastian was being difficult, and Ciel was beginning to be annoyed again.

"My lord, you may do whatever you wish, I will follow you to whatever end you choose." It was the catch-all answer. Truth be told, Sebastian could not answer Ciel's question for he was not sure of his opinion on the matter. The events of the afternoon had bothered him slightly and he wasn't sure how much he could make clear to his master when it wasn't clear to himself.

Ciel sighed. He had given a straightforward answer, but it didn't ease his stress in any way. "Suppose I didn't know what I wanted? How could you follow me when I don't know which way to go?"

"Has another young lady caught the eye of my lord?" Sebastian teased.

"Don't be difficult." Ciel snapped. Of course that was impossible. Ciel didn't socialize nearly enough to know of other noble ladies around his age suitable for marriage. On top of that, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Elizabeth. She was a perfect match for him. "There is nothing wrong with Elizabeth." He affirmed aloud his thoughts.

"Of course not, my lord." Sebastian then turned to look at his master, ensuring that their eyes met before he next spoke. "But just because there's nothing wrong with her doesn't mean she's the right one."

Ciel's blood ran cold. His eyes widened with shock he could not hide, and his lips quivered with an anger he could not disguise. "How... dare yo-"

"Was I not given permission to speak freely?" Sebastian's tone was unforgiving. A hint of malice glimmered in his eyes, making his disdain for Ciel's hypocrisy noticeable.

Ciel found himself speechless for the second time that day, all because of the damned butler. He was beginning to wonder whether his trust in him had been misplaced. But as they came up to the mansion, Ciel realized that words were not necessary. He dismounted abruptly, leaving Sebastian to put away his horse without a word. He marched up the stairs to his home and practically slammed the door on his way in.

"My lord!" Mei Lin came careening toward him as he walked into his home. Although she had become a little less clumsy over the years and had learned to break less china, she was still far from graceful. Bounding toward him while screaming like a hyena was hardly the way to get his attention. But Ciel had no patience for his maid this evening and he strode past her coldly.

"Whatever it is, have Sebastian take care of it. I'll be in my office!" He raised his voice more than he should have, but he didn't care. He needed some time alone. Having Sebastian hover around him didn't help, it only served to make him more confused and anxious.

"B-but my lord!"

"Silence! Don't pester me with your inane drivel!" Mey Lin stood shocked, she'd never seen the master get so angry. It was so unexpected from the calm, upstanding Earl he usually was.

"I-I..." She tried to stammer out an apology, but Ciel simply shoved past her and made his way through the mansion, leaving her quite speechless.

Ciel slammed the door shut to his office, locking the door for good measure (though he knew Sebastian could easily break through such an obstacle). He took his seat in the luxurious chair that sat behind his desk and immediately he buried his face in his hands. He couldn't shake Sebastian's words, nor the look in his eyes as he said them. And as he thought of the hungry look in Sebastian's eyes, his body gave an involuntary shudder. The seal of his contract burned slightly and he felt himself a boy again, longing for the butler's gentle touch.

A knock at the door snapped him out of his train of thought. Taking a deep breath, he tried to respond with an even voice.

"Who is it?"

"Master." It was Tanaka. A wave of relief swept over Ciel's being. Had it been Sebastian, he wasn't sure what he would've said, what he would've done. Tanaka's presence was a welcome distraction. He strode quickly to the door and unlatched it, opening it for the elderly man who raised a gentle eyebrow at him for having been in his office with a locked door. But the quizzical look was gone as swiftly as it came and he gave a small bow before entering Ciel's office. Ciel returned to his desk and plopped himself down onto his chair, waving his hand absentmindedly to give Tanaka permission to speak.

The old man was very along in years now. Yet, he could still be considered spry for his age. This was as expected of one who had served the Phantomhive family for as long as he did. Tanaka eyed his second master carefully across the desk, before finally taking the liberty to speak.

"What is it that has my master so troubled?"

Ciel laughed. Tanaka was a cunning old man when he wanted to be. The problem was that Ciel hardly knew the answer himself.

"I never saw the late master be so troubled in his life." Tanaka's remark was cruel. It was a stab at Ciel to spur him to futher maturity. Tanaka knew, better than anyone, of what dangers the Phantomhive family faced simply by existing. He knew better than anyone what courage, what determination was required of the lord of the Phantomhive name in order to face those dangers. He knew he had to be tough on Ciel. Tanaka was the closest thing to a father figure Ciel has had since the untimely death of his parents. Recognizing the weight of his role, Tanaka knew what needed to be said. For that reason, Ciel always allowed him to speak freely, always allowed Tanaka's counsel when he wished to give it.

"Never?" Ciel asked exasperatedly. He knew what Tanaka was trying to tell him. He understood his responsibilities well. But this was something else entirely, though he could not explain why. Tanaka noticed the grief in Ciel's tone. He felt pity for the young man. Tanaka had guessed that the wedding would be an emotional experience for Ciel, who was probably coming to realize that he didn't love Lady Elizabeth and therefore didn't really want to wed. But a lifetime of living up to other people's expectations had suppressed his ability to even recognize his own desires. Tanaka, in a moment of softness, offered Ciel this kindness.

"Well, no. Only once did I see nervousness surface onto the late master's face." Tanaka smiled gently, offering Ciel a silent apology for his earlier statement. Ciel accepted it.

"And when was that, pray tell?"

"When you were born, master." Ciel lifted his head at that, and searched Tanaka's eyes. They were honest.

"When Lady Rachel offered your small, infant body to your father, I saw him hesitate for the first time. Nervously he took your small frame into his arms, and I never saw him as uncertain as I saw him then. He was so careful with you, so afraid he would do something wrong, so afraid of your small, fragile body resting in his hands. He was so remarkably insecure, the late mistress had even laughed at him, remarking how she had never seen him so rattled."

Ciel felt heat rising to his cheeks and dangerous tears forming in his eyes. He blinked them back willfully. He couldn't even remember the last time he had cried, and he wasn't going to start now. But he smiled at Tanaka, and it was honest. It was a gentle, thankful smile, not filled with malice or hatred. Tanaka came around Ciel's desk, and offered him a small handkerchief from his pocket, looking away respectfully as Ciel dabbed at his eyes to catch the tears before they fell.

When Ciel offered it back, Tanaka refused it, but moved to correct Ciel's slightly disheveled appearance. He straightened his coat, and began to rebutton the cuffs on his sleeves, which Ciel had unbuttoned to go riding. As he worked, he spoke.

"I know you are troubled, master, by your upcoming wedding." Ciel tensed, but allowed Tanaka to continue speaking.

"I know you are torn between your duty and your own desires, though you may not even realize it." Tanaka moved to button up Ciel's vest.

"Between your services to the queen, your facade to the other nobility, and your own pride in your name, you have forgotten how to want something simply because you want it, and not because other people have said you should." He unraveled Ciel's uneven necktie, tying it up again. As he gave one final pull, fastening the tie into place, he offered this final bit.

"You are a Phantomhive, master, but you are more than that as well. You are not your father, nor are you obligated to be. It is unbecoming of anyone, servant or master, to be so unaware of themselves that they know not what they truly desire." He straightened up, towering over the seated Earl and smiled down at him graciously.

"Discover for yourself what you truly want, Master. That is all this household ever requires of you." Tanaka walked toward the door. With his back to Ciel,

"We can only follow if you know where to lead us." It was a gentle reassurance, reminding Ciel that he had those who were loyal to him, who would follow him to whatever end. Tanaka closed the door gently behind him, then turned to face the head butler who had been standing by the door for quite some time.

"Beautifully spoken, sir Tanaka." Sebastian gave him a small bow, acknowledging the ability of the former head butler of the Phantomhive family.

Tanaka eyed Sebastian carefully. Walking past him, giving no recognition to Sebastian's remark, he stopped a few steps away. Not turning to look at Sebastian, Tanaka spoke,

"It is ill-fitting for the head butler of the Phantomhive family to rile his master so." It was a biting accusation. Sebastian always wondered just how much Tanaka really knew.

"I shouldn't have to do your job for you, Sebastian."

Sebastian stiffened slightly, but knew that Tanaka had a slight point. He turned on his heel to face Tanaka's back and gave a humble bow.

"My apologies, sir Tanaka. I will be more mindful of my behavior in the future." Tanaka resumed walking, again giving no response to Sebastian's words. When he was out of sight, Sebastian smirked. The old man was so amusing sometimes. He truly cared for Ciel like a father. Sebastian turned to face the closed door of Ciel's study. It begged the question what role Sebastian played in Ciel's life. Well, he thought, that question was answered easily enough.

"I'm just one hell of a butler, I suppose." Sebastian whispered to himself in the darkness.

As Sebastian walked toward the kitchen to prepare the master's supper, a forlorn maid with her teary eyes glued to the floor bumped into him as he turned a corner.


	4. Cena

**Disclaimer:** Kuroshitsuji and all of its characters are property of Toboso Yana.

_Writing this chapter made me pretty hungry~_

_Cena means "Dinner" in Latin_

**Cena**

As Sebastian walked toward the kitchen to prepare the master's supper, a forlorn maid with her teary eyes glued to the floor bumped into him as he turned a corner.

"Mei Lin, I know you are a bit clumsy for a maid, but you should try to at least walk without much trouble." Sebastian sighed as he caught her arm before she fell. Abashed, she straightened up as much as she could and sniffled back tears. Sebastian raised a questioning eyebrow at her melancholy.

"I-I'm so sorry, mister Sebastian," she whimpered, wiping at her eyes beneath her glasses. "I was just... I..."

"Straighten up and speak clearly!" At Sebastian's tone Mei Lin silenced her whimpering immediately and took a deep breath. Raising her eyes to look at him, she blubbered,

"The master was so upset! I wasn't sure if maybe I did something wrong, well, I do a lot of things wrong, but I hadn't actually broken anything today yet, and..."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. When he had told her to speak clearly, he hadn't meant for her to say absolutely every little thing that popped into her head. Honestly, the incompetence he had to deal with.

"...this letter from the Queen, but he-"

"A letter from Her Majesty?" Sebastian interrupted Mei Lin's rabble.

"Ah, yes!" Mei Lin reached into her pocket, pulled out the letter, and immediately handed it over to Sebastian while bowing profusely.

"I tried to give it to the young master earlier, but he seemd in such a foul mood!"

Sebastian turned the letter over in his hand. The crimson Royal Seal glared up at him from the envelope, and he pocketed it. "Understood. I'll deliver it to the master later this evening when I serve him his dinner." He moved to walk past Mei Lin, but stopped after a few steps.

Turning around, he placed a reassuring hand on Mei Lin's shoulder and gently lifted her glasses from her face with his other hand. A blush quickly found its way to Mei Lin's cheeks from the closeness of the handsome butler. He lifted his other hand from her shoulder to her face and she squinted her eyes shut tight. Oh, she was such a lecherous maid for allowing a man so close! But all she could do was shut her eyes, for she couldn't bear to push him away. She jumped when she felt his gloved fingers wipe away the tears in her eyes. Her eyes shot open in surprise. Sebastian was so close to her, she could barely make out the blurred outline of his face before her glasses were shortly replaced and she could see the gentle look in his eyes.

"Tears don't suit you, Mei Lin. The master had a long day was all. Come now, let me see a smile on that pretty face." He smiled and Mei Lin could do little more than stammer at his charm. Somehow she managed to lift the corners of her lips into a very nervous half-smile. She couldn't disappoint Sebastian. The man was simply too alluring. As the slightest of smiles graced her face, Sebastian straightened up and stepped away from her.

"There now. As servants of Phantomhive, we shouldn't ever be caught with such sad faces. Correct?" Mei Lin nodded slowly, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Well now, I've got to go prepare the master's dinner. Excuse me." Sebastian turned on his heel and walked away, leaving a very flustered maid to slink to the floor, her face a shining beet red and her legs without any strength. Sebastian smirked. Humans, especially human females, were so easy to manipulate.

Sebastian entered the kitchen to find Baldroy pointing his favorite flamethrower at a dead rabbit on the counter. Before he could fire and destroy the entire kitchen for the millionth time, Sebastian quickly intercepted the rabbit before turning on the cook.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Sebastian's tone was calm, but the slight twitch in his eyebrow alerted Baldroy to be on edge.

"Well, I had to skin the rabbit and I figured that if I used my handy flamethrower, I could get rid of all of its fur, and cook it all at the same time!" He gave his signature grin, a cigarette dangling from between his teeth.

Sebastian snatched the cigarette from between his teeth before ordering him out of the kitchen.

"Burning the rabbit to a crisp does not qualify as cooking it! Go make sure Finnian isn't destroying the garden!"

Honestly, after so many years, one could only hope for just the smallest bit of progress in those three, but it was to no avail. Still, that wasn't the main reason for which they were hired, so it was mildly excusable he supposed. Sebastian set to work on the master's dinner, and as he worked, he pondered over Tanaka's earlier statements.

Apparently, the main problem lay in the fact that the master was unsure of his own desires, desires that Sebastian considered quite obvious. Sebastian smirked. While slicing an onion, Sebastian reflected on the odd nature of their connection. He supposed it was possible that his master was unsure, but their demonic bond made it so that Sebastian knew for certain what Ciel didn't know for himself. He could see inside of Ciel's deepest darkest thoughts, and he knew precisely what his master wanted. How Ciel could not know that for himself was confusing to Sebastian, but he supposed that was just another feature of humans he would never be able to fully understand.

"Denial rears its ugly head often in humans..." he whispered.

After the rabbit pieces had browned, Sebastian added the seasonings, spices, and four cups of water and Cabernet Sauvignon dry red wine. Dousing the flames a bit so that the stew simmered instead of boiled, Sebastian's eyes were drawn to the flickering flames of the stove. His thoughts once again wandered to consider Ciel. The seal of their contract tingled on his skin, beneath pristine white gloves. It meant his lord was thinking of him, possibly aching with desire for him. There were fires of passion stirring within Ciel that certainly weren't about his betrothed. Sebastian chuckled into the flames. His poor master was so confused, and though Sebastian knew precisely what would be the answer to his problems, he wanted Ciel to figure it out for himself. He wanted Ciel to call to him, to ask for him, to beg for him.

Gracefully, Sebastian added the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms to the broth, noting the time needed to cook them until they were tender. It was like waiting for the first fruit of the season to ripen. And after all of these years, Sebastian's mouth watered to think of how tender Ciel had become. He had always desired his charge in more ways than one. Ciel's rage, his lust for power, those wonderful sins that served as the most delicious spices for his soul also stirred a very physical desire in Sebastian. He wanted to devour his master in every way possible. And as his master aged, Sebastian only felt their bond grow deeper and his desires grew ever stronger. As Ciel hit adolescence and realized his changing body, though he would never confide in Sebastian about the changes, Sebastian knew. When Ciel writhed in his sheets alone at night, Sebastian could feel the heat on his hand and in other places as well. But much to his disappointment, Ciel never called for him at those times.

Pouring in the last bit of water and adding flour to thicken the broth, Sebastian fingered the small envelope in his breast pocket. It was quite an inconvenient time for another one of the Queen's requests. Ciel had enough to worry about currently, and depending on the severity of the case, it might actually interfere with the wedding, though Sebastian couldn't really complain about that.

Scooping out a generous portion of the completed stew into an ornate bowl, he readied Ciel's dinner cart and worked his way up to Ciel's office. His door was still closed. No doubt, he was still seething about earlier. Sebastian rapped his knuckles lightly on the door.

"Master," he called out softly. "Dinner is served."

After a prolonged silence, a soft voice finally answered him. "Come in."

Sebastian opened the door and found Ciel standing with his back to him, looking out the window at the grounds. He gingerly placed Ciel's dinner on the desk, clearing away some of the paperwork that lay scattered about, then stood back slightly to allow Ciel to sit. But Ciel remained standing, unmoving, gazing out into the darkness.

"Master?"

"You were listening earlier, weren't you." It wasn't a question.

"Yes." Sebastian knew it was no time to be coy. "I overheard most of the conversation. I even got a reprimand from sir Tanaka shortly afterwards for it." Bowing deeply, Sebastian added, "I apologize for my impudence over today's events."

Ciel turned to face him, looking into his ruby eyes sternly. Taking a deep breath, he finally moved to sit in his chair, partaking in his dinner at last.

"This isn't finished." Sebastian poured out a glass of wine to accompany Ciel's meal. Ciel took it when it was handed to him and he swirled the glass in his hands while keeping his eyes on Sebastian. "You're dismissed for now."

"My lord?" Sebastian usually stood beside Ciel the entire time he ate, to ensure that everything was to his satisfaction and to offer up the next course when he was ready. To usher him away while he ate was more than unusual.

"I'm dismissing you so that I can eat my dinner in peace. But as I said, this isn't finished. I will call you back afterwards when I am ready for bed." Sebastian's ears perked.

Sebastian hadn't readied Ciel for bed in years. Once the boy had learned to dress himself, Sebastian saw less and less of him, especially in the evening hours. But this evening, his lord was specifically requesting his presence. Sebastian could not hide the smirk that crept its way onto his face.

"Yes my lord." He gave a deep bow, then moved to exit the room. In the doorway he stopped abruptly before exiting, then hesitantly pulled the letter out of his breast pocket. "I almost forgot. My lord, you have a letter from Her Majesty."

Ciel continued eating without wasting a glance up. "Leave the letter here, then go. We can discuss that later as well."

"Understood." Sebastian placed the letter at the edge of Ciel's desk, then left the room. Perhaps he should have saved it for tomorrow. Whatever Ciel had in mind for later that evening would surely change upon reading the letter from his precious Queen. Sebastian gave a tut of annoyance before walking downstairs and out into the gardens. Hopefully, sending Baldroy outside wasn't a trigger for more damage on the grounds.

Ciel ate in silence, hardly appreciating the decadence of his meal. His thoughts were elsewhere, as they had been all day. Although it had been a fairly uneventful day, he was unexplainably exhausted. Too many things had been said, too many buttons had been pushed. He had too much to consider. His marriage with Elizabeth was swiftly becoming more complicated than he would've liked it to, and his confusion only grew the more he tried to think about it. Was marriage supposed to be this difficult? He remembered Tanaka's words to him. Comforting though they were, they didn't solve his problems.

"Torn between duty and desire, huh..." He muttered to himself as he swirled his spoon around in his stew absentmindedly.

The only thing he'd truly desired for years was revenge. Of that much he was certain. But perhaps he was actually at a loss to what else he could possibly desire. It was his duty to marry Elizabeth. And up until recently, he thought that he had wanted it as well. But this incessant doubt gnawed at him. He could think of no better candidate for marriage. They were all either too young or too old or too poor or too stupid.

[I]But just because there's nothing wrong with her doesn't mean she's the right one...[/I]

Sebastian's voice echoed in his ears. He did have a point. When moving pieces on a chess board, any one move could have no flaws in and of itself, but it may not be the right move to make at that time.

He cared for Elizabeth, he always had. She was his precious cousin and they'd grown up together. Up until his parents were murdered, they had done everything together. But he also knew that while he cared for her, he resented her presence ever so slightly. She represented everything he had been before the gruesome death of his family. She served as a constant reminder of the life he had lost, the life he could never restore. Her smiles had been his smiles, and it hurt to think of how he could never go back to those times.

Ciel also knew that while he loved her as family, he didn't love her as a companion. But this was mostly because he could never love anyone to that capacity. Was it fair to subject Elizabeth to such treatment simply because it was expected of them? She loved him unconditionally, he knew. But he could not return those feelings. He could never, as her husband, treat her the way she deserved to be treated. Eyeing the letter sitting on the edge of his desk, he sighed. And then there was the matter of his businesses in the underworld. He could try his best to hide it, but in the end she would become involved. And when she did, the same dangers that threatened himself would threaten her as well. Ciel was sure his mother Rachel had been an innocent casualty of his father's businesses. He wondered if she knew the full extent of her father's illicit activities. He wondered if she regretted being a part of that world.

Sipping lightly at his wine, Ciel leaned back in his chair. When it came to his desires, he didn't wish for love. It was a nuisance. But then what was it that he did want? Closing his eyes, his mind's eye formed the image of two glowing red orbs glistening in the darkness. Ciel's eyes snapped open. Placing his wine glass down, he ringed for Mei Lin to take away his dinner, then quickly strode out of his office. Walking briskly down the hall, Ciel tried his hardest to quench the heat in his chest, but he couldn't. As he reached the master bedroom, Ciel recalled that he had requested Sebastian's presence that evening. Why had he even asked for such a thing? Sighing, he turned on his heel and made his way to the bathroom instead. It was time for a cold bath to clear his head... and other areas.


	5. Pactum

**DISCLAIME**R: Kuroshitsuji is not mine~

**WARNING**: This chapter has graphic sexual content. Do not read if you are underage. Not that I'll really know otherwise...

Thank you everyone for your reviews and comments! Since I know how much you wanted this next chapter, I haven't exactly proofread it yet, but here it is! Please ignore any mistakes you might find.

_Pactum_ means "Contract/Agreement" in Latin

**Pactum**

Sebastian had been clipping the hedges when he felt his master summon him to his side. His seal had been burning for hours before then. But he cherished that sensation on his hand, knowing full well what it meant about the recipient of that seal. When he finally felt Ciel call for him directly, he placed a gentle kiss on the back of his hand where the seal was, then appeared in front of Ciel's bedroom door in an instant.

He knocked lightly on the closed door, calling out to his master softly, "Master?"

Agonizing silence. Though it was only a few moment's delay, Sebastian was restless, and it was a restlessness he was unaccustomed to. He hadn't felt anxious in decades.

"Enter." At last.

Sebastian opened the door to find Ciel sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for him. His eye patch lay on the dresser by his bed, his jacket lay neatly draped over his chair. His cravat was undone, the first few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned beneath that. His master was giving him the most curious look, and refused to break eye contact. Sebastian returned the gesture, accepting the challenge his master posed. For several minutes they did nothing but stare into each other's eyes, unflinching. The demon stood proudly, unwavering under his master's steady gaze. Ciel could see only amusement flickering in his eyes. Then again, he wasn't expecting much else. At last he spoke.

"Don't just stand there, Sebastian. Make yourself useful." He gestured to his nightwear hanging from a hanger by his closet and leaned back slightly on his bed.

Sebastian moved swiftly. As he grabbed the white robe from its resting place he felt a wave of nostalgia. When was the last time he had dressed his master for bed? When was the last time he had felt that silky smooth skin beneath his gloved fingers? When was it exactly that he had begun to desire his master's flesh in addition to his soul? He placed the robe on the bed next to where Ciel was sitting, while Ciel eyed him carefully.

Sebastian moved gently to unbutton the remaining buttons on Ciel's shirt. As he worked, Ciel watched him intently. The air felt like lightning around them and Ciel's body gave an involuntary shudder when he felt Sebastian's gloved fingers graze against his bare skin. Sebastian could only smirk. Such an unexpectedly innocent response from such a tainted being. The touches seemd accidental, but Sebastian was being meticulate in when precisely he allowed himself to touch his master's skin. It was as enjoyable for him as it was for his lord.

"When you spoke to me earlier," Ciel began softly, no longer looking at Sebastian but fixating his gaze upon a spot on the wall. "you told me that Elizabeth was not the right choice for me."

"I stated my opinion, just as you wished me to, my lord." Sebastian gently pushed the shirt off of Ciel's shoulders revealing more of his pale skin to the gently flickering candlelight. It took Sebastian every ounce of self control he had to not begin immediately caressing every inch of the young man's flesh. Oh, he had grown in years. His shoulders were broad, his mucles toned and well-defined even in the darkness. He had grown into a fine man indeed. As Ciel lifted his arms to allow easier removal of the garment, he continued,

"And Tanaka said that the reason I was so troubled was because I didn't know what I want for myself." Sebastian neatly folded Ciel's shirt and placed it aside, then kneeled at his master's feet to remove his socks.

"I believe he has a very good point." Sebastian carefully removed Ciel's socks, lightly massaging Ciel's feet as he did to relax his master.

"But you know, don't you." Again, it wasn't a question.

"My lord?" Sebastian looked up into Ciel's face from his kneeling position.

"The contract." The seal on Ciel's right eye began to glow a faint shade of pink. "It connects my soul to yours." Sebastian felt his skin start to burn once more. "But more than that, it connects our minds as well." Sebastian said nothing, affirming Ciel's suspicions. "Therefore, because of our covenant, you know precisely what it is that I want for myself, even if I have trouble figuring it out."

Sebastian's expression gave away nothing. His crimson eyes gazed unflinchingly at his master.

"You knew all this time. For years you've known." Sebastian removed his hands from Ciel's body, straightening his posture slightly, but still kneeling. Ciel's eye was glowing brightly now, an indication of the emotional state of its bearer. Though they were already so close, Sebastian could feel Ciel's soul tugging at his own, wanting to pull him closer, to close whatever possible distance that may separate the two of them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ciel commanded.

"My lord, you did not ask." Sebastian gave his feline smile, the one Ciel detested. Ciel opened his mouth to curse him, but Sebastian relented. To satisfy Ciel he voluntarily offered the whole truth behind his statement. Just this once, he would answer without being asked.

"But it was more than that. You were right, my lord, I have known for years. But when I first realized the truth years ago, you were too young. I did not want to force you to realize such a horrible truth so early. As you grew, I wanted, no, I even hoped that you would discover it for your own, because I wanted you to ask for me of your own free will."

Ciel's eyes widened at the sentimentality behind Sebastian's statements. It seemed wholly out of character for Sebastian to even think of offering such kindnesses.

"Of course, you can be quite dense sometimes, master." Sebastian chuckled, and Ciel growled at the impudence. "Didn't I tell you repeatedly?" Sebastian placed his right hand gingerly upon his breast, a politeful gesture indicating his utmost loyalty. "My body down to the last hair belongs to you, master, to do with as you will." His eyes glinted in the candlelight, and in those ruby orbs Ciel could see the flames burn within Sebastian's soul. They were flames that represented the hell he came from. They were flames that were fueled by sin. They were flames that radiated the intense heat of passion. Passion. Sebastian's seal threatened to burn straight through his gloves and Ciel felt his eye burn intensely, but he blinked away the pain as best he could.

Looking into those flames, Ciel knew what he wanted. He wasn't sure how it had eluded him for so long, but seeing Sebastian standing there in front of him, he knew. The problem was that he was going to marry Elizabeth. It might have been disgraceful for him to have chosen another woman, but it wasn't unheard of. But to hear of a nobleman turning down his perfectly qualified fiancee for his butler? The shame that would bring upon the Phantomhive name was laughable. It would be unbelievable. But Ciel could think of no better alternative. He could think of nothing, no one else he wanted more at that moment.

"Kiss me." Ciel broke the silence first, with barely more than a whisper.

"Is that an order, my lord?" Sebastian grinned from ear to ear. The moment had come at last.

"Only if you want it to be." Ciel was unflinching. The young man offered back the same kindness Sebastian had shown him throughout the years. Whatever it was they were about to do, it would be voluntary on both their parts. For once, Ciel wanted to be rid of the boundaries that separated master and servant. He wanted to discard his title if only for one night. He didn't want to be the Earl, he wanted to be the man Ciel Phantomhive. A mere man who wanted to join flesh with a mere demon. Sebastian heard these thoughts, felt these desires. Allowing himself a moment's insolence, Sebastian whispered the one thing he had never dared in all the years spent in that household.

"Ciel..." In that moment, the ranks were dissolved. It felt like liquid honey to Ciel's ears, and he could hold back no longer. He grabbed Sebastian's tie and brought his lips down onto his own roughly. The need that he had suppressed for his teenage years broke through with a vengeance. His seal burned beneath his eyelid, but it didn't matter. The fire coursing through his veins grasped at his attention more than anything else. Their tongues danced, fighting for dominance. It was rough, unsophisticated. Their desires were carnal. The only thing either of them could think about was how they could better taste the other. Ciel entwined his fingers into Sebastian's hair, feeling the silky softness he had wondered about earlier that day and smiling into Sebastian's lips because they did not disappoint what he had anticipated.

When they broke apart gasping for air, the torrent of passions did not cease. Sebastian merely moved his lips from Ciel's to trail along his jawline, his neck, his collar bone. Ciel gasped in delight at every kiss, every nip. He tried to pull Sebastian even closer, gripping him tightly. Somehow, there was too much space between them. The electrified air took up too much space between their bodies. Ciel pulled at Sebastian's tie. Ciel was naked except for his pants but Sebastian remained fully clothes. It was bothersome. Ciel pushed Sebastian away, then commanded,

"Strip."

Sebastian eyed the young man sitting on the bed warily. His lips were swollen, flushed a rosy red. His hair was mussed, his chest heaving up and down gasping for air. His eyes smoldered and between his legs a growing hardness ached to be free of its constraints. Sebastian eyed his prize and licked his lips. Discarding his gloves in a flourish, he swiftly removed the rest of his clothing as Ciel sat still watching him with bated breath.

The demon was flawless. Ciel had expected no less, but seeing Sebastian in his full glory was still breathtaking. His body was perfect. Michelangelo's David was nothing in comparison to the specimen that stood before him, tall, proud, and very erect in more ways than one. CIel smiled hungrily, and it sent a shiver of delight through Sebastian's body. He felt Ciel's smile in several ways. Being bound together as they were was a wonderful feeling. Everything they did was intensified a hundred-fold. In addition to whatever physical stimulus they inflicted upon the other, they could feel the same excitement in each other's souls. Sebastian's physical pleasure was heightened by the burning of the seal that indicated just how greatly Ciel desired him and just how pleasured Ciel himself felt.

They grasped at each other hungrily, eager to close the distance between them. Ciel ran his hands all over Sebastian's body, feeling every trace of his porcelain skin, and Sebastian returned the gesture. This time, they went a little more slowly than before. Sebastian pulled at Ciel's pants, and soon they too were discarded among the pile of clothes heaped rather messily on the floor.

In the darkness their eyes met, icy blue with fiery red. Sebastian trailed hungry kisses down Ciel's collar bone, working his way down until he could nibble lightly at one of Ciel's nipples. A gasp escaped him and he arched into Sebastian's touch. Sebastian was eager to oblige, using his other hand to stimulate Ciel's other nipple, savoring the wonderful sensation of Ciel writhing beneath him. Such a wonderful response, really. And he hadn't even gotten to the good part yet.

Sebastian moved his dexterous tongue further down Ciel's body, leaving a gleaming trail of saliva down Ciel's abdomen. As the moistened skin felt the cool air, Ciel shuddered ever so slightly. Every inch of his skin was tinglng, he didn't think such pleasure could be possible. But he was proven swiftly wrong as Sebastian's warm mouth slipped over his erection. He let out a cry then and entwined his fingers into Sebastian's hair. It was too much. The heat in his body threatened to burst out of every pore. His breath came in ragged gasps, he could not control the sounds escaping his throat. He was sure that everyone in the manor could hear his moans of pleasure, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. Sebastian's dexterous tongue was slipping around all over Ciel's member, licking him up and down, swirly around the tip, he even let his teeth slightly graze over it at times, eliciting just enough pain to make the pleasure even more delightful.

Ciel's moans were music to Sebastian's ears. Looking up at Ciel from his position was delicious. His face was flushed, his rosy mouth was hanging open, giving out sweet cries. His eyes were shut as though to preserve some shred of decency, but his master, no, his companion was beyond that now. Sweat beaded lightly at his entire body and his thrashings grew increasingly uncontrollable. Ciel was close. Taking a long, slender finger, Sebastian pressed it lightly against Ciel's entrance, which was enough to send him over the edge. Ciel exploded into Sebastian's mouth, screaming out one ragged cry of pure bliss. His body went rigid, every inch of him stiffening with the intensity of his release, and then his body went limp, collapsing onto the bed.

Though his body felt exhausted, Sebastian's mouth hadn't left his penis. He continued to suck after Ciel's orgasm, rousing him to another erection. Ciel moaned in slight discomfort. Sebastian released him from his mouth and whispered, "You didn't think we were finished, did you?" Raising himself to Ciel's eye level, he gently guided one of Ciel's hands to his own throbbing erection, which had been pitifully neglected while Ciel had been pleasured.

Sebastian let out a slow hiss as he felt Ciel's fingers grip his cock firmly. Turning Ciel on his side next to him in the bed, he reached around Ciel's back and placed one finger at Ciel's entrance. Before pushing in, he looked into Ciel's eyes, asking for silent confirmation. Ciel gave his response with a passionate kiss, giving all the insistence Sebastian needed. He pushed a single finger into Ciel, feeling him tense with the new sensation. But Ciel continued his administrations on Sebastian's throbbing organ and moaned into Sebastian's mouth. Ciel grimaced as he pulled away. It didn't hurt necessarily, but it was, for lack of a better word, strange. It was just a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn't painful necessarily. When Sebastian pushed another finger gently inside him, Ciel let out a ragged breath. It was so intimate. The feeling of their bodies so close, the feeling of being invaded the way he was.

Sebastian let out a moan, greatly anticipating being inside his master soon. Ciel found himself more aroused by Sebastian's excitement than the gentle ministrations. His breath caught in his throat when Sebastian positioned him onto his back and lifted his legs into the air to rest them on his shoulders. Sebastian placed the tip of his cock teasingly at Ciel's entrance, once again locking eyes with Ciel. Yes, they had discarded their titles for this embrace. But the titles were nothing more than a game to Sebastian. And he was in the mood to play.

"Give the order, my lord." He whispered huskily. Ciel's eyes widened slightly and he blushed. He knew precisely why Sebastian was making such a statement. As he had said earlier, he wanted to hear Ciel call out to him. He wanted Ciel to ask for it, no, to beg for it. Though the order would be given by him, it was really Sebastian in charge at that moment, and he knew it. It seems they couldn't resist teasing each other after all.

"Do it." Ciel hissed.

"Do what?" Sebastian chuckled. Ciel's erection twitched, leaking pre-cum in its excitement and he looked at Sebastian fiercely, his right eye emitting an intensely fierce glow.

"Damn it Sebastian!" Sebastian gave out a small chuckle, then lightly stroked Ciel's penis, teasing him gently. Ciel moaned into his touch, but it was frustrating. He needed more of Sebastian. And he needed it now. Ciel's eyes shot open, burning his gaze into Sebastian's. The seal of their contract shone brightly in the darkness.

"This is an order! Fuck me this instant!"

Sebastian buried himself deep within Ciel with one hard thrust, eliciting a delightful cry out of Ciel's lips. Ciel felt a flurry of sensations pool in his stomach, his hands clung to the sheets tightly and his entire body felt as if it were on fire. Sebastian pulled out slowly, gently, then thrust into him mercilessly again. With his second thrust Sebastian hit that sweet spot inside of Ciel. It made him lose complete control and he gave himself into every pleasure, every sin, holding nothing back. He thrusted himself into Sebastian as much as Sebastian was thrusting into him, and he cared not if the entire mansion heard his cries. He thrashed beneath Sebastian, gripping at the sheets, his hair, clawing at Sebastian's strong arms, his breath came in ragged gasps, his moans echoed throughout the spacious room.

Sebastian picked up his pace considerably to meet his master's need, and he too, began to moan aloud. Centuries of existence, and he had forgotten how marvelous sex could feel. He even wondered if perhaps he had ever had sex this good before. Watching Ciel writhe beneath him made him so hot inside, he could barely stand it. He could feel only the beast inside him that wantd more. The beast could think only to thrust deeper, harder, to taste his prey all over. Sebastian began to suck at Ciel's neck, which lay exposed beneath him, causing Ciel to moan even louder. Could he think of any women he had laid with who were more beautiful than this gorgeous man beneath him? Could he think of any previous men he had taken to bed who were more strong in spirit? Sebastian had experienced hundreds of mortals, but Ciel was undeniably the best he'd ever tasted. He had the oddest quality that made Sebastian want nothing but to taste more of him, but also made him hold back for fear of it being over too soon. He wanted to devour Ciel more than anything, but he was at the same time apprehensive about his consumption because of the emptiness that would follow when Ciel was gone. This was true intimacy, he thought. There was no greater desire than this.

Ciel's breaths came faster, his moans grew more keen and Sebastian too, felt himself on the edge of an abyss. They careened towards their orgasms together. Sebastian gave out a guttural cry, biting down on Ciel's neck and Ciel screamed in sheer bliss, spraying his semen between their bodies. For a period of breathtaking seconds they were still, locked against each other, frozen in nirvana.

Sebastian collapsed besides Ciel, pulling out of him slowly. Ciel's mind was a complete blank, the first time he had ever felt so satisfied. Sebastian too, felt sated of his hunger, though he was certain it wouldn't last for very long. Ciel finally grasped at Sebastian's hand, entwining their fingers together. He placed a gentle kiss on the brightly glowing seal on Sebastian's hand, though the glow was quickly fading.

As their breathing slowly evened, and their nerves finally calmed as a soothing drowsiness began to overtake them both, Ciel chuckled lightly into the darkness.

"Sebastian, I'm sure I saw an abyss before me." Sebastian was wiping the both of them clean of Ciel's own fluids with his handkerchief absentmindedly.

"It was void of absolutely everything but the deepest and most darkest sins." Sebastian nodded lightly as he pulled the sheets over their bodies and placing Ciel's pillow underneath his head to rest on.

"I should have been afraid." He turned into Sebastian then, wrapping his arms around Sebastian's lithe frame. Sebastian obliged the gesture, even wrapping his own arms around Ciel. It amused him to think that in all of their years of being together, he had never actually held Ciel the way he held him now. Yes, he had carried him as a boy on occasion, because he was unable to keep up or because he lacked the physical strength sometimes to even stand on his own. But he had quickly grown out of that. As Ciel grew older, he didn't mind dirtying his own hands to accomplish his goals. He became a better shooter, fencer, and an overall fighter. He leaned on Sebastian less and less.

Feeling the grown man hold him in an actual embrace, entwining their naked bodies was an entirely new sensation for Sebastian. Because he was no longer a child, the embrace was mutual. Sebastian was not comforting a young boy, he was merely holding another man, and Ciel, in turn, was holding him. They were almost equals. Almost.

"But the darkness was soothing to me, Sebastian." Ciel murmured into his ear, his eyelids drooping heavily. He would soon be sound asleep.

"Heaven is lost to me forever..." Ciel nestled himself against Sebastian, placing his head in the nook of Sebastian's neck and shoulder. "...but if this is what Hell feels like..."

His breathing was slow and even. Sebastian turned his head slightly and saw that Ciel was slumbering quite peacefully. He too felt the desire to sleep. Not that the demon needed sleep, but he enjoyed Ciel's warmth beside him, and enjoyed the feeling of lying in bed next to him. So he placed a tender kiss on Ciel's forehead and forced himself into sleep as well.

As he felt the unfamiliar feeling of drowsiness overtake him, he whispered into Ciel's ear, "Sleep well, my lord."


	6. SpringHeeled Jack

**DISCLAIMER**: Kuroshitsuji is not mine, it is the property of Yana Toboso.

_This is going to be a much longer story than I had anticipated. But I'm having tons of fun writing it. I hope you are enjoying how the characters have developed and how the story will develop from here. Constructive criticism is always encouraged~!_

**Spring-Heeled Jack**

Ciel awoke to the sound of tea gently trickling into a cup. The sunlight poured in from his open curtains, and he opened his eyes slowly, squinting in the brightness. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sebastian, fully dressed, as graceful as ever, setting out his breakfast. Had it all been a dream? Disappointment crushed Ciel and he felt his stomach tighten into a knot. He rolled over in bed away from Sebastian, then snapped his eyes open upon realizing the feel of the sheets against his bare skin. He was entirely naked underneath them. His senses awakened all at once, chasing out all traces of lingering sleep. He was naked, his muscles felt extremely relaxed, and he felt a slight tingling in his anus from where... Ciel felt a blush creeping to his cheeks.

"My lord, this morning I've prepared an aromatic Darjeeling tea to accompany the blueberry scone for your breakfast." Ciel slowly sat up in bed, letting the sheets pool around his waist. He eyed Sebastian warily. For some reason, he thought that something should have changed between the two of them after the previous night. Yet here Sebastian was, being the perfect butler he always was, with practically no difference to their morning routine. It was slightly unsettling, but Ciel wasn't sure what he was expecting in its place. Had he been hoping to wake up next to him, and luxuriate in the feel of their entwined naked bodies in the morning? Was he hoping for a good morning kiss? Surely not. But he wanted something, anything to be different than before. Sebastian placed the tray of Ciel's breakfast upon the bed, and it was only then that Ciel noticed Sebastian's gloves were missing. Looking, he found Sebastian eyeing him carefully as well.

"I must say, my lord, you have a very healthy post-coital glow this morning." He gave a positively feral smile, and Ciel gave an internal sigh of relief before breaking out into mild laughter. Things had changed after all. Neither of them were going to pretend as if the previous night never happened. Neither of them felt that it had been a mistake. Ciel was glad for this.

"I guess I have you to thank for that." Ciel sipped lightly at his tea, and Sebastian gave a small, coy nod of his head.

Ciel took his scone, then noticed Sebastian had slipped the Queen's letter onto the tray as well. He supposed now was as good a time as any to deal with his next assignment.

"Read it to me, Sebastian." He said gesturing to the letter while he took a generous bite out of his breakfast. It was somehow the best scone he'd ever had, though he was sure Sebastian hadn't improved his cooking tenfold overnight. Apparently, everything was better post-coital. He could get addicted to that.

Sebastian took the letter and sliced it open with one clean cut with his letter opener, taking out the elegantly folded piece of paper, which was lightly scented with the Queen's perfume. Unfolding the sheet and reading its contents, Sebastian nodded his head as he finished, then tucked the letter neatly back into its envelope.

"Apparently, Scotland Yard has a new nuisance on their hands."

"A nuisance?"

"The local papers have been calling the perpetrator by the name Spring Heeled Jack."

Ciel licked at his fingers. "That's a rather theatrical name."

"He seems to be a frightfully theatrical person, if in fact, he is a person."

"What do you mean by that?" Ciel raised one eyebrow at Sebastian over his tea.

"The descriptions of him thus far are rather supernatural. A few witnesses have described him as possessing red balls of fire for eyes and having metallic claws on his fingertips. A few women he assaulted claimed that he breathed blue and white flames at them. And most commonly, he has the ability to make extraordinary jumps to slip away from the authorities, hence the name." Sebastian placed the letter into the fire, watching the paper burn and curl up as he spoke. He retrieved Ciel's empty breakfast tray, placing it on the cart.

"He's either an extremely athletic lunatic, or he's not human at all." Ciel stretched languidly, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his bare skin.

"Indeed. Her Majesty wants London to be rid of this 'ghastly specter.'"

"If that is what Her Majesty wishes, then I am obliged to obey." Ciel said through a yawn.

Sebastian fetched Ciel's clothes for the day, then stood beside Ciel's bed expectantly. Ciel held out a hand for his shirt, and frowned slightly when Sebastian refused to hand it over.

"My shirt, Sebastian." He urged, but Sebastian merely grinned at him.

"It seems only appropriate, my lord, given my undressing of you last night for me to dress you on this morning." He gave a rather feline grin, and Ciel gave a small sigh.

"Am I going to be coddled like a child at my age? I'm perfectly capable of dressing myself now, and you're just looking for every cheap excuse to be close to me." Despite his irritated tone, Ciel held out his arm for Sebastian to dress him.

"Yes, you're perfectly capable. But that doesn't mean you necessarily have to." He slipped Ciel's arms through the sleeves of a ruffled white shirt, then kneeled by the bedside to button it up.

"I'm doing this because I wish to, master. Nor am I considering you to be a child." As he buttoned the final top button, Sebastian placed a lingering touch on Ciel's neck, tracing up to his jawline then stroking down to his chin. "No, you're certainly not a child."

Ciel stared back defiantly and smiled into Sebastian's.

"You haven't addressed my last point." Ciel accused as Sebastian grabbed his undergarments and held them by the bed for Ciel to slip his feet into them.

"Ah yes, you're right." Ciel placed his feet inside and through his underwear, placing his feet solidly on the ground. He stood up then, letting the sheets fall to the wayside, his naked groin inches away from Sebastian's face. "The one about my wanting to be close to you." Sebastian slowly, teasingly pulled Ciel's underwear up, slipping it gently over his buttocks and securing the band about his waist. He worked particularly slowly at tying the knot about his waist. Then in a sudden movement, he reached around, placing one hand on Ciel's lower back to steady him then used his other hand to grope at Ciel's ass. "Can you really blame me for that one, my lord?" Sebastian gave Ciel's ass cheek a gentle squeeze before pulling away and grabbing his pants.

Ciel had to admit, he felt a bit flattered that Sebastian desired him as greatly as he did. He supposed he could get used to having Sebastian around in the mornings again. And in the evenings. Especially in the evenings.

As Sebastian finally got to the last part of dressing the young Earl, Ciel laughed a little aloud.

"It's astonishing," he remarked. Sebastian gently placed Ciel's eye patch over his right eye, bringing the straps around to tie them neatly behind his head. "It took you seconds to get my clothes off, but it takes you so long to get them on."

As Sebastian gave a final pull to the knot in the string of the eyepatch, Sebastian came around to face Ciel, and gave a slight bow.

"I apologize, my lord. But I do so prefer to see you bare." Ciel coughed lightly, unable to prevent the blush that formed on his cheeks. It was amusing, how their play had changed. In a way, nothing had changed at all. In a way, everything had. Ciel stood to leave the room, gesturing for Sebastian to follow.

Sebastian then put on a rather solemn face and as he followed his master, he reminded Ciel of his schedule for the day.

"I've arranged for a meeting with Detective Aberline for this afternoon in London in order to gather some information about this Spring Heeled Jack." Ciel nodded absentmindedly as they left his room and headed downstairs into his office.

"While we were in London, I thought we might do a bit of shopping. There are a few necessities we must retrieve to rectify certain... incidents caused by the other servants." Ciel nodded again, everything was fairly typical. He stepped into his office, and frowned slightly at the paperwork he had to sort through. Unfortunately, that was typical too.

"And in the evening is the dinner party you are hosting for Lady Elizabeth and her parents, the Marquis and Marchioness Middleford." Ciel froze. He had forgotten about that event entirely. The dinner had been arranged weeks ago, entirely as a formality. It's not as though Elizabeth's parents hadn't met Ciel, but it was customary for the groom to host a dinner for his new bride and her family. Ciel felt a sickening knot in his stomach as he considered his new situation.

The events of the previous night had happened in such a blur, he hadn't stopped to really consider the consequences. Would he now refuse his engagement to Elizabeth? They would want reasons. He couldn't exactly tell them he was turning Elizabeth down because he was screwing the butler. But what other explanations could he give? He could keep his relationship with Sebastian a secret from the prying eyes of society, but he couldn't keep it a secret from Elizabeth. If they married, she would not stand for him to continue his soirees with Sebastian. It also wouldn't be fair to her.

Whatever great mood Ciel had been in earlier that morning slipped through his fingers like sand, and he felt the migraines of a new day rushing back toward him like a child who had been away from his mother's bosom too long. He had to find some way out of the engagement, he had to.

In his mind's eye he saw a tearful Elizabeth, and it pained him. She was his precious cousin. After his parents and Madam Red, she was the only family he still had left. He cared about her, and he knew that his decision would hurt her. But he also knew that it would be better this way for the both of them. She would love him unconditionally, and it was a gesture he could not reciprocate. She would live her life for him, and he would continue to live his life for himself. She would offer herself, body and soul, but Ciel was simply unable to do the same. His body and soul belonged to Sebastian. And poor Elizabeth simply couldn't compete. How miserable would she be, living in Sebastian's shadow for the rest of her life? Ciel couldn't do that to her. She deserved someone better. She deserved someone who could return every gesture of love she gave, and wouldn't put her life in danger.

"My lord?" Sebastian's gentle voice brought Ciel out of his thoughts, and he sighed.

"We'll go ahead as planned with the dinner." His voice was solemn. "It might be good to tell them tonight before preparations for the wedding get out of hand." He had the slightest feeling that the Marchioness would want to shoot him for that. She was an extremely good shot. Ciel shuddered slightly.

"Tell them what, my lord?" Sebastian was teasing again, and that coy smile was back to dance playfully on his lips. His master was choosing himself over that silly woman. He was willing to bear the cruel lash of society's judgment and scorn for the sake of his own happiness. How selfish of him. How shameful. How utterly delightful.

"I'm going to give them respectful reasons for cancelling the engagement," Ciel shot him a glare. "Don't think that any mention of you is going to crop up in the discussion." Sebastian gave a falsely humble bow.

"My lord, I didn't mean to insinuate-" An explosion from the kitchen interrupted both their trains of thought and Ciel thought he saw a vein twitch in Sebastian's temple.

"And so the day begins," Ciel remarked with amusement.

"Indeed," Sebastian sighed heavily. "I shall go deal with Baldroy and the others, and then I shall prepare your carriage." Sebastian took out his gleaming silver pocket-watch to note the time. "We are a bit behind schedule, but the carriage should be ready within the hour. Please try to get through some of your paperwork befor then." Ciel waved him away, and Sebastian rushed to the kitchen. Honestly...

When he got to the kitchen, as usual, there was a complete and utter mess awaiting him. He wasn't sure why he even bothered with ever cleaning up the foul area. Baldroy sat sputtering on the floor, his hair mussed into a charred afro. Mei Lin was ducking behind the opposite counter, and Finnian lay in a crumped heap beside her. Sebastian cleared his throat to announce his presence and they immediately turned to him with fear and shock on their expressions.

"Mister Sebastian!" They shouted in unison.

"Really, you three. All I requested was that you clean up after yourselves after breakfast. How did that result in this mess?" He barked the last sentence, his tone rising dangerously and instilling utter fear into the hearts of the other servants.

"Well, what happend was..." Finnian began, but Sebastian raised a hand to stop him.

"I don't really care to know, in all honesty." He stepped closer to them menacingly, towering over them like a black specter on a rampage, his eyes glowing a fierce red. The other three cowered in fear as he approached. As he was about to let loose a barrage of reprimands, a gentle clapping from the doorway stopped him. Turning around, he saw sir Tanaka lightly clapping his hands together with a gentle smile on his face.

"All right then. I think it's high time we cleaned up this lovely little mess we've made for ourselves here." With Sebastian's rampage quelled, Tanaka shot a sharp look at the three on the floor. They shivered. They weren't really sure who was more intimidating when they were angry between sir Tanaka and mister Sebastian.

Sebastian straightened his posture, clearing his throat as if to pretend he had never gotten enraged. Tanaka gave him a smile and said, "Please, continue as you were, Sebastian. We'll handle things here. I will personally see to it that this kitchen is spotless by the time you and the master return." Sebastian nodded his thanks then moved past sir Tanaka to walk out of the kitchen and out to the stables. Tanaka eyed him warily as he walked down the hall, but said nothing further. Instead he clapped his hands together once again and turned to the other three with a gleam in his eye. Oh, it was a good morning.

Sebastian found Snake tending to the horses in the stables.

"Get the carriage ready and make sure you're presentable. The master's going into London today."

"Y-Yes sir." Snake stammered, moving about quickly in his work. His mood was always a little worse on days when Ciel had to go out. As his footman, Snake was obliged to accompany his master, but it meant having to leave his precious snakes behind. He always felt incomplete when they were away from him. He missed Oscar especially. Unforunately, the snakes could also be nowhere near the stables, for they would spook the horses. And Snake had spent most of the day in the stables today.

Sebastian sensed his less-than-enthusiastic mood and assisted Snake in getting the carriage ready, commenting,

"You've really come along as a servant, Snake. You're certainly strides above the other three in the manor." Snake blushed slightly as he fitted the reins on one of Ciel's mares. It was a beautiful chestnut horse by the name of Audrey, and she was his favorite.

It was rare of Sebastian to hand out compliments. Perhaps he was in a good mood?

"Th-thank you, s-sir." He gently placed the blinkers around Audrey's head, then reached for the harness.

"Now if only we could get rid of that stutter." Sebastian teased, patting Snake lightly on the back. Sebastian had already fitted the other horse, Ophelia to the carriage. Snake never ceased to be amazed at how quickly Sebastian worked. It was practically inhuman. But, glancing at his own scaly skin, Snake couldn't exactly be bothered by someone being a little abnormal. When he really stopped to think about it, everyone at the Phantomhive estate was unusual. That was the nature of this world. And although he still kept listening for any news on the Noah's Ark Circus troupe, he had come to enjoy his years with the master and the others. They had become his friends, his family. There were many days when he didn't even miss the circus members anymore. Snake sometimes wondered if he would leave the Phantomhive estate, even if he did find the others. It had been five years now, and he had become quite fond of them.

"Bring the carriage out front when you've finished." Sebastian left the stables, heading back into the manor.

Snake attached Audrey's harness to the suspension of the carriage beside Ophelia and checked to make sure that both mares had been fastened securely and evenly and that the carriage was balanced. The task was second nature to him now, but he recalled the disaster that had been Sebastian's first lesson to him in preparing the carriages. Poor Snake had thought the suspension was even, but this quickly proved false as he sat in the driver's seat and took the reins. Being a little overzealous, he broke the horses out in a slightly faster pace than usual and the carriage immediately tipped over onto its side, tossing Snake a few feet and injuring the horses quite a bit. The horses were quick to recover, but Snake's confidence took a little longer to repair. The horses weren't as dear to him as his snakes were, but they were still animals and he felt awful for having caused their injuries. Sebastian's comfort had been to tell him he was fortunate that the master had not been in the carriage at the time. It wasn't much, but Snake supposed the situation could really have been a lot worse. Snake was glad to learn new things from Sebastian and delighted in being useful.

He brought the carriage around to the front of the manor where Sebastian and Ciel stood waiting on the steps. Snake pulled the horses gently to a stop and Sebastian moved to open the carriage door. Ciel climbed into the carriage. Before Sebastian entered the carriage as well, he quickly mentioned to Snake,

"Drive us to Scotland Yard. We have an appointment with Detective Aberline." Snake gave a slight nod of confirmation. When Snake heard the carriage door close, he whipped lightly at the reins and they rode off towards London.

As he drove, Snake wondered what the master's latest assignment was. Driving to Scotland Yard always made him a little uneasy, given what those trips usually meant. The last case the master had solved for the queen had ended rather gruesomely. Snake was the only one who saw his master and mister Sebastian return that night, covered in blood and reeking of death. It was then that Snake realized the weight that lay on Ciel Phantomhive's shoulders. His respect for him had grown tremendously, as had his loyalty. As the horse's hooves clopped gently on the cobblestones of the road, Snake briefly wondered if he should offer his services in a further capacity. He heard Sebastian's voice faintly inside the carriage behind him. No, his master had his perfect butler. That was surely enough.

After a good hour's ride, Snake pulled up slowly to the headquarters of Scotland Yard. Pulling the horses to a gentle stop, he dismounted from the driver's seat, and opened the carriage door. Ciel and Sebastian emerged from the carriage and Ciel strode forward without a moment's hesitation into the building. Sebastian pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to Snake along with a small bag of coins.

"These are some things we need for this evening's events." Snake took the paper and coin purse and looked at the paper's contents. Most of it was groceries. "As you know we'll be hosting a dinner for the master's fiancee and her family. Please gather these items while we meet with Detective Aberline." Snake nodded in confirmation of his orders and Sebastian turned on his heel to follow Ciel into the building.

Snake look around from where he stood and caught eye of a stable nearby. Leaving the carriage at the stable, Snake turned to face the crowded streets of London with a wary look on his face. He hated being in public without the master and Sebastian, and he especially hated shopping. He lifted a hand to his neck, missing the presence of Oscar gently coiled around it, and stepped out into the London marketplace. Well, there was nothing for it, he supposed. If he couldn't do a bit of shopping as a servant to the Phantomhive family, how would that look?

_Quick question to my readers: Would you like to see more of Snake? If yes, then the next chapter will feature him quite heavily. If not, I can proceed just fine with the rest of the plot. I'm not sure how much I want to develop Snake or his involvement in the case. So I'd love to hear your input._


	7. Humanitas

**DISCLAIMER**: Kuroshitsuji is not mine, it is the property of Yana Toboso.

_The majority seemed to prefer more of Snake, so I've given him a sizeable chunk of this chapter, but not too much for the people who didn't want him (I suppose you could just skip the first part). I hope you like it! Next chapter will feature the awkward dinner. O_o_

_This fiction was actually inspired by a fanart I drew a little while ago. If anyone would be interested in seeing it, you can find it on my deviantart, which is linked on my profile page. Sorry about the shameless art plug. ^_^'_

* * *

**Humanitas**

Snake carefully turned over the potatoes in his hands, comparing the two of them rather carefully, before finally deciding on the one in his right hand. He gave it to the woman behind the stand, who eyed him curiously before placing it in a bag with his other purchases and stating the bill.

"Altogether that's two guineas and fifteen shillings, mate." Snake reached into his coin purse and placed three guinea in the palm of her outstretched hand.

"Keep the change," he said, taking his grocery bag.

"Well, that's mighty fine with me, lad!" She shot a big grin at him. Snake could see she was missing a couple of teeth and the ones that weren't missing weren't in the best of conditions. Snake briefly wondered if she had children she needed to feed from the income of her small vegetable stand.

Saying nothing, he gave a small nod of his head before continuing on in the marketplace. In many ways, the market reminded him of the circus. It was a place where everyone gathered, no matter their station. Beggars on the street strummed melodies while the aristocrats walked straight past them without so much as a stare. A well-dressed child being led by a governess would point to the peasant children playing ring around the rosy and ask if he could join them. She would frown in distaste, grip his poor arm tighter and swiften her pace. There were stands run by peasants, stands run by the middle class. A small orphan child might be buying a small ration of bread to keep her from starving to death, using a blemished farthing handed to her by some gentleman who bothered to give a slight damn. Next to her in the adjacent stand, a man in a silk-lined tail-coat was purchasing a small toy for his child. It would mean the world to his son, he thinks. It would mean nothing for the tiny orphan three feet to his left.

Snake always made a conscious effort to buy from the less prosperous stands, so long as the quality of their products wasn't also poor. His master did not mind being generous, so long as he didn't have to suffer bad quality food for it. A few times he would take the peasant children playing nearby to the nearest bakery, and he would generously buy them all loaves of bread and something sweet. He was sure it wasn't strictly allowed for him to do that, but he couldn't help himself. They reminded him so much of Joker and the others.

Heading towards a particular stand he frequented for good fish, the old man behind the counter gave him a toothy grin.

"Well, if it isn't mister footman!" He immediately stood from his seat and hobbled closer to the counter to greet Snake.

"What can I get for you today?" The old man shifted his weight carefully to stay on balance. His bad leg kept him from standing up too straight or for too long. For the past few years, Snake had seen his leg grow worse and worse. But he was under the impression the old man couldn't exactly afford a doctor.

"I need some of your best tuna." Snake tried to give a small smile. The last time, the old man thought he spent too much time being serious and refused to give him his fish until he cracked out a smile of some sorts.

"That-a boy!" The old man barked a laugh, then reached behind him to grab an iced crate, containing a freshly caught skipjack tuna, measuring two and a half feet.

"This little darling was caught this morning, fresh off the boat!" He was a cheery old man, Snake thought. Despite his hardships he always had a smile on his face. Snake supposed, given the luxury he himself lived in, he should make an effort to be happier as well. After all, he didn't have a bum leg. If ever he was sick or injured, his master would pay for any medical expenses to treat him. He had excellent lodgings, a warm bed, and silk-lined cotten on his back. On top of all that, he was surrounded by people who called him family, and the master even allowed him to keep his snakes in the house. A grateful smile found its way to Snake's lips.

"That's just perfect," he told the old man, smiling gently. "How much will it be?"

"I reckon you can have her for about four pounds, mister footman!"

Snake rummaged in his purse and handed the man five.

"Aww, now, what's this for? You're gonna make me feel like I'm cheatin' ya!" Snake took the crate and gave as big a grin as he could muster.

"Consider it a bonus for the excellent customer service."

With his arms full, Snake decided to head back to the stables to drop off what he had gotten before retrieving further goods. All that was left was to pick up the china set, the master's new clothes, and then he would be done. Reaching the stables, he carefully packaged and tied the cargo to the top of the carriage, then slipped Audrey and Ophelia a couple of carrots he had bought as extra while he had been shopping. They neighed appreciatingly.

Snake headed back out to pick up the rest of the master's things, absentmindedly glancing at the Scotland Yard headquarters as he left the stables. He wondered how much longer their meeting would take, and if it was going to be a particularly difficult case.

* * *

Fred Aberline walked into the archives, sighing heavily. Police work was tiring in and of itself, but the paperwork was the most brutal part. He could handle seeing dead bodies, giving chase to a thief, and witnessing the lowest depths humanity had to offer as proof of its existence, but the paperwork! As he turned a particular corner, he heard voices a few shelves away. They sounded distinctly like... oh god.

Aberline walked briskly over to where he heard the voices and sure enough, a particular Earl and his butler were scouring a particular shelf of the archives, papers strewn everywhere.

"Ah, Underline." Ciel absentmindedly commented, casting him a brief glance.

"It's Aberline!" Aberline was incensed. His name really wasn't that hard to remember! Why did people insist on saying it wrong? "It's officer Aberline! And what are you doing up here? Does the commissioner know you're up here?" Even as the question escaped Aberline's mouth he knew the answer.

"It's better if he doesn't know." Ciel muttered, glancing at a sentence in the file he was browsing. "Besides that, I have a few questions for you."

Aberline could feel the veins in his temple throbbing. As a child, Aberline had been able to excuse some of the Earl's behavior. It made sense. Children didn't always know to respect their elders, especially when they had been born into a higher station. But now that he was an adult, it became more and more apparent that Ciel's previous behavior was certainly not due to his age, but because he was just another wealthy jackass.

"You... have a few questions for me." Aberline stated behind gritted teeth.

"Have you seen Spring-Heeled Jack?"

Aberline's eyes narrowed. Oh yes, _that _case.

"I personally, haven't seen him, no." Aberline was honestly rather annoyed with how much publicity and attention the Spring Heeled Jack was resulting in. People were still being murdered, theft was as high as ever, there were far more serious problems out there than some lunatic in a costume who could apparently jump really high. "I don't really consider him to be a priority case."

In Ciel's hands, he held various folders with differing witness accounts of the odd specter. "He seems to attack mainly women." Ciel commented, barely acknowledging Aberline's response.

"That seems to be his trend, yes." Aberline confirmed. He knew the Earl was just going to take the folders he was holding in his hands. Great. More things to have to explain to the commissioner.

"Have any officers seen him?" Ciel handed the files to Sebastian who took them obediently, shooting Aberline a semi-grateful smile. It was as if to say, thank you for your hard work, we know how much trouble this is causing you, but we don't really care.

"Only a few of our newest field staff have seen Spring Heeled Jack with their own eyes. Because of their inexperience in the field and because of the oddity that Spring Heeled Jack poses, he hasn't yet been caught." Aberline wasn't sure why he was obediently answering these questions. What he should have been doing was chasing the two out of the files room and getting back to work.

"Interesting." Ciel was browsing through the shelves again. Really, Aberline should be getting back to work. Ciel then turned toward him, commanding,

"I'll need the profiles of all the new recruits in the past few months in the police departments in central London and the surrounding parishes."

Aberline could do nothing but stand there and stutter. Who did he think he was, to bark orders at him like that?

"Listen, you can't just-"

"You'll have them ready for Sebastian to pick up tomorrow afternoon." Ciel walked straight past Aberline, heading for the door. As he placed his hand on the door handle, he stopped, remembering something crucial.

"Oh right..." He waved a hand at Sebastian, who pulled a small coin purse out of his jacket. "Can I tempt you this time?" Ciel shot Aberline a wry smile. Aberline simply huffed and turned his head.

"Not now, not ever!"

Ciel smiled knowingly. He was glad there were people like Aberline in this rotten world. Among the damned, the depraved, the tainted masses of human beings, there were a precious few people like him. People who truly wished for good, who were truly selfless. People like Aberline gave Ciel an inkling of hope for humanity, since he kept no hope for himself.

"Suit yourself. Come Sebastian." They walked out of the files room, leaving Aberline with his shoulders slumped.

Watching them go, Aberline frowned at the mess they left behind. Really, if they were going to just take files, the least they could do is put back in order the ones they were leaving behind. As Aberline began picking up the files on the floor and sorting through them, he thought warily of Ciel, the notorious watchdog of the queen. How bothersome, he thought. But his frown lessened, because he knew he didn't really find it bothersome to have them around. What was bothersome was the fact that they were needed the way that they were. He couldn't deny that their work was beneficial to the queen and to the people. But Aberline simply couldn't fathom having to live the life of a criminal to be able to expose the worst of them. It made him sad for the Earl. Checking the time, Aberline supposed he could have the files ready before he left that evening, swearing to himself that next time, he'd be sure to make them clean up their mess before leaving.

* * *

As Ciel and Sebastian walked down the halls of the Scotland Yard headquarters, Sebastian glanced at the files in his hands and questioned Ciel.

"Do you think that one of the new officers could be the perpetrator?"

"It's doubtful. But there's so little to go off of, any little lead might lead us to something useful." There had been no murders, so it wasn't as if they could go to the Undertake for more information. Ciel was curious himself as to why he had been assigned this case at all. This wasn't anything the underworld was involved in, nor did it seem as though Spring-Heeled Jack was of any real danger. There had been no deaths, and even those who had been assaulted escaped with only minor injuries. As bizarre as the case was in and of itself, the fact that the Queen bothered at all with it was even more bizarre.

"If it turns out he's not even human, that would be troublesome." Ciel absentmindedly mumbled. He wasn't sure how much the queen knew about supernatural beings. Even his own servants didn't know of Sebastian's true nature, nor did anyone else of his relations suspect that Sebastian was anything more than a perfect butler. The only one who had ever figured out more was the wordsmith. But the queen surely knew how many crimes rampaged, centered in occult beliefs and rituals. The question was whether or not she knew those beliefs to have any value. If she did, and she thus suspected that Spring-Heeled Jack was non-human, then it would make sense that the case would be assigned to him.

"I don't suppose it's another rampaging Death God..." Ciel rarely thought aloud. Sebastian, noticing his master's off behavior, offered,

"I wouldn't fret too much, my lord. We'll find more information as time goes on. Since this character doesn't seem particularly dangerous, we can take a little more time than usual." Sebastian's words visibly calmed Ciel a bit.

As they walked out of the building, Ciel and Sebastian stood on the steps of the building, looking for Snake. Ciel caught sight of him down the road, playing with a small group of children, who were clearly orphans and living on the street. They were dressed in rags, very noticeably starved, and were all holding loaves of bread. He supposed Snake had purchased them for the children. Ciel gestured at Sebastian to follow, and the two of them walked towards the small group. Snake's back was turned to them, so he didn't notice them approaching and was startled when Ciel tapped him lightly on his back. Turning around with a jolt, Snake's eyes shot open when he saw his master standing there.

"M-my lord!" Snake wrung his hands. He really should have been keeping an eye out for them to see when they left the building. He should have had the carriage ready and brought out. He shouldn't have been buying bread and pastries for small, orphaned children with his master's money. As he frantically serached his mind for a proper excuse or a proper apology, Ciel gave a small smile, and said,

"And who are these lovely ladies and daring gentlemen?" He gestured to the children who were standing behind Snake. They were slightly cowering, realizing the importance that Ciel's presence bore. They could feel he was a man of authority. And while he was a very important man, they were not. And so they shrunk away from him, and realized the honor of him having acknowledged their presence. Other people of authority walked straight past them as if they were invisible. To be seen by people of higher status was a privilege.

Snake stood staring at his master for a few moments, taken aback by his lack of anger. When Sebastian gently cleared his throat, Snake came back to his senses and quickly turned, gesturing to each of the children in turn.

"W-well, this is Eliza, and this is Tobey, this is Edward and his little sister Lottie, and this is Benjamin." Each of the children gave a small, shy nod of their heads as their names were mentioned, except for little Lottie who tried her best to hide behind her big brother. "Children," Snake continued, addressing the children. "This is the Earl Ciel Phantomhive. He's-" He was cut off by one of the children shouting excitedly,

"Phantomhive? They make the really cool toys in the windows!" It was little Benjamin who spoke. Recognizing the name, the other children smiled brightly and looked up at Ciel with newfound awe.

"Do you really make all of those toys, mister?" Eliza dared to step a little closer to Ciel, her eyes gleaming with adoration.

Ciel gave the girl a gentle smile. "No, I don't make them myself. But I am in charge of the people who do make them, and most of the toys are my ideas."

The children gasped with delight, amazed by this handsome adult who stood before them. All of them except shy little Lottie seemed completely entranced by Ciel's presence. Turning to Snake, Ciel asked,

"Have you finished retrieving everything while we were busy?" Snake stood at attention, behaving almost like the children in how he responded to Ciel.

"Y-yes, my lord." Ciel really wasn't upset with him. He was so relieved, but more than that, he was delighted to see Ciel paying any attention to the children. Snake thought to himself what a kind-hearted master he had. Ciel held out his hand.

"Give me the wallet." Snake hurriedly reached into his pockets and produced the small bag of coins, placing it in Ciel's hands reverently. Ciel pulled open the string and looked inside, not counting carefully. "You're always so frugal, Snake, even though I tell you not to spare any expense."

Snake bowed his head in slight shame.

"It's just as well, I suppose." Ciel sighed with fake disappointment. Then he knelt down in front of Edward and looked around him at his shy little sister.

"I believe your name was Lottie?" She nodded her head slightly, eyeing him carefully. She was the youngest of the children, with bright green eyes and dirty blonde hair. He gestured for her to come closer, and she looked questioningly into her older brother's eyes. He gave her a gentle nod of reassurance, and she timidly stepped out from behind him. Ciel took her hand in his and gently placed the satin coin purse into her palm, then gently wrapped her fingers around it.

"I'm giving this to you since I'm sure you're the most trustworthy." She looked up at him, a faint blush forming on her cheeks. "Keep it safe, and use to buy whatever you need for you and your brother and your friends. Understand?" She nodded obediently, gripping the purse tightly between her tiny fingers. The other children stood in awe of the man who had stopped to acknowledge their presence, who had bothered to ask their names, whose life's work was to make children happy, and who gave them such generosity, though they considered themselves nothing more than street rats.

Straightening to his feet, Ciel snapped his fingers at Snake. "Don't just stand there gawking, get my carriage ready." Snake quickly snapped to attention, and darted towards the stables.

Sebastian watched Ciel carefully. If ever Ciel showed that he still had a shred of humanity, it was with children. There were several reasons why, of course. Each reason was as silly as the one before it, but understandable for a human. Sebastian hated these moments. They made Ciel seem weak. But he couldn't deny that the behavior added a certain spice to Ciel's soul. As delicious as hatred and sin and ferocity were as seasonings to a soul, there had to be a shred of humanity to it. Otherwise, he might as well go and devour other demons. But it was the juxtaposition of those flavors that he savored. The taste of a soul so tainted but clinging to some small glimmer of purity was utterly tantalizing.

Ciel was asking the children about their favorite Funtom toys, as if he actually cared for their opinion, their meager lives. But as soon as he left, he would forget them. Sebastian knew this for a fact. And as Snake pulled the carriage around, as Ciel said his good-byes to the children who looked at him as if he were some sort of god, as he climbed into the carriage and Sebastian climbed in after him, Sebastian knew that most of it had been an act. As soon as the carriage door closed, they were in separate worlds again. Ciel's was a world in which poverty didn't exist and the only things that mattered were his own objectives. It was a sick and twisted world of lies and sin. Theirs was a world in which they grasped for whatever they could to sustain themselves and the only thing that mattered was staying alive for another day. And yet it was an honest world, brutal and inglorious.

Once in the carriage, Ciel's earlier smile immediately disappeared and they rode in silence for a little while. The expression he wore wasn't unreadable though, not for Sebastian. There was a glimmer of pity in those eyes, a hint of sad recognition for the pitiful lives of those children. It wasn't all an act.

After a while, Sebastian dared to speak.

"That was rather kind of you."

"Bollocks. You know as well I that I'm not kind to any degree."

"The money you gave them could keep them fed for half a year, maybe longer."

"And how much longer do you expect those children to live? It's not as if I gave them comfort enough to support the rest of their lives. If I was truly kind, I would've taken them in maybe, found them decent foster homes, put them in an orphanage and donate some money. There are a million more things I could have done for them that would've been kind."

"Then why bother at all?"

Ciel sat in silence for a little while. The steady clip-clop of the horse's hooves filled the silence between them until finally he spoke again.

"Because of Snake."

Sebastian remembered Ciel's words to Snake when they had first taken them in. He had fed him some poorly-contrived lie about wanting to save him, and wanting to save the other circus members as well. What was the rubbish he spewed out at that time? Oh yes. He wanted them all to achieve true happiness. Sebastian chuckled. He should've expected such an answer.

"Was that all?" Ciel shot him a fierce glare.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answers to." That confirmed it. Smiling coyly, Sebastian bowed his head.

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

A guinea was the equivalent in Victorian London to a pound today. A shilling was 12 pence, and there were 20 shillings per guinea.

I have to admit, I tried several times to write some of the peasants as using Cockney accents, but it was so damn hard, I have them using just regular old English. XD

I also promise that we are returning to the original point/conflict of the story (Ciel and Elizabeth's engagement) very soon. A little sidetracking to develop things doesn't hurt too much, I don't think.


	8. Crudelitas

**DISCLAIMER**: Kuroshitsuji is not mine, it is the property of Yana Toboso.

_And we're back to the main crux of the story: the upcoming wedding~_

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* * *

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**Crudelitas**

As the carriage drove on, Ciel caught first sight of his manor surfacing over the horizon. The sight of it made him slightly queasy, knowing what was to come in the evening. He frowned as the walls drew closer, as if he could will them to stay back if he expressed his displeasure. Alas, they weren't as obedient as Sebastian, and soon they were towering over him, splendid in their majesty, their tragedy. Sebastian got out of the carriage almost immediately after Snake drew it to a stop. He held the door open for Ciel, who remained fixated to his seat, staring intently at the floor of the carriage.

"Master." Sebastian called out softly to him. Ciel did not stir.

Sighing softly, Sebastian closed the carriage door and walked around to the front of the carriage to Snake.

"Unload everything and take it inside. Tanaka will show you where everything needs to go, then keep Baldroy, Mei Lin, and Finnian busy so that they don't cause any trouble before the Marquis and the Marchioness arrive with Lady Elizabeth."

Snake gave Sebastian a puzzled look.

"Unload? While the master is... why won't the master get out of the-"

"Just do as I say." Sebastian said firmly. Snake stopped and gently placed the reins down. Removing himself from the driver's seat of the carriage, he hopped down and immediately worked his way around to the back of the carriage. He began his work of removing the luggage from the roof of the carriage as Sebastian entered the carriage once again. Snake wondered what could be wrong. The master seemed fine when they had left London.

Seating himself across from Ciel, who was still far more interested in the ground of the carriage than anything else, Sebastian spoke.

"If the floor of the carriage is so pleasing to you, I can arrange to have the same carpet placed in your study." Ciel gave no response, merely furrowed his eyebrows.

Sebastian gave another attempt. "Perhaps it's the carriage seat that has so caught your fancy? I suppose we could place a similar piece of furniture in the library for your comfort."

When Ciel remained as silent as a tree, Sebastian sighed and said, "If Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?"

Ciel raised his head and raised an eyebrow at Sebastian. "What are you going on about?"

"Ah, my master stirs at last! Here I was beginning to worry that death had come for you while I was unaware." Sebastian gave him a teasing smile and playfully clapped his hands together.

Ciel turned his head and muttered under his breath, "If only..."

"Now now, master, that simply won't do. I've told you before, when death comes to you, it will be by my hand." Sebastian's voice took a darker turn as he wrapped up that last sentence, and Ciel's eyes finally turned to face him, seeing the glimmer of scarlet in his eyes.

"I don't want to do this, Sebastian." He knew he sounded like a child, but he had no idea how to behave like an adult on this issue. Did even adults know how to act in these situations? How did the ancient kings deal with relationships and marriages? They were so horrendously complicated, even without any demonic contracts.

"Well now, that's quite the dilemma, my lord." Sebastian leaned back in his seat, placing a hand to his chin in mock contemplation. "You don't want to marry Lady Elizabeth, but you don't want to break off the engagement. I'm afraid even I, as the perfect butler, am going to have some trouble working with those terms."

"Breaking off the engagement isn't something you can do anyway. It's for me to do." Ciel twiddled with his thumbs. It was peculiar, he thought. He looked down at his hands, thinking of all they had done, all he had done. He had murdered, he had stolen the lives of others for his gains, he had lied shamelessly to serve his own needs, he had even allowed his own aunt to die before his eyes without lifting a single finger to stop it. And yet he had no idea how to go about breaking a woman's heart. And even then, he wasn't doing this because he wanted to hurt her. He cared about Elizabeth's happiness. It was one of the few traces of humanity he had left. And he was about to discard that as well.

"Yes, my lord. This is something I cannot do on your behalf." He looked at Ciel with unflinching crimson eyes, and Ciel bowed his head. For once, he couldn't rely on his faithful butler to do the dirty work for him when he didn't want to. But pitying Ciel's distress, Sebastian offered a small bit of comfort. "How can I make it easier, my lord?"

Ciel squeezed his eyes shut, drawing in a deep breath. Regardless of the deed, there was nothing to be done by just sitting in the carriage moping about. He had guests due in a few hours and there were things that needed to be completed. It would disgrace the Phantomhive name to be unprepared for his evening guests. It was time to take up his pride again. He had discarded his childhood long ago, this was no time to behave like a fickle teenager. Exhaling deeply, he looked up and shot Sebastian a determined glare. His master's resolution reached into Sebastian's core, and he could feel their seals burning slightly.

"Do your job," Ciel stated. "Continue being the perfect butler that you are." It was a rather simple command, but it held enormous range and responsibility. Sebastian understood and accepted them all. Exiting the carriage and holding the door open for Ciel, he bowed deeply and answered,

"Understood."

Ciel got out of the carriage, not a hint of hesitation in his steps and proceeded into the manor. He approached Tanaka who was waiting for him obediently at the foot of the main stairway.

"Lay my new clothes out in the master bedroom for this evening, and make sure there are proper clothes for the other servants. I want absolutely everyone in this manor to look their formal best tonight." Tanaka nodded obediently. "Sebastian will see to it that the dinner is impeccable. I need you to make sure the dining hall and the gardens are breathtaking. Make sure the other three do absolutely nothing." Tanaka began to nod his head, but Ciel looked him in the eyes. "I mean it, Tanaka. Nothing."

"Of course, my lord." Tanaka bowed his head low, chuckling inside. Ciel was going through painstaking measures to impress tonight. The old man was glad to have the strong, authoritative young Earl back in control. There was a reason he had chosen to service the Phantomhive family as their butler when any number of noble families could have had him for their butler. And Ciel exemplified that reason at every opportunity since he had taken up the burden of his name. Something remarkable ran in this bloodline, Tanaka knew. And he was drawn to it, bound by some unnamed power, compelled to serve the lords of this house. He would be a servant to the Phantomhive name until his dying day. It was his greatest pride, even in his old age.

"Early in the evening, you will give the Marquis and the Marchioness a tour of my manor. Keep the other three out of sight until dinner. During that time, I will be with Elizabeth in the gardens."

"That is most unusual, my lord."

"I have matters to discuss with her." Ciel said no more, and Tanaka gave no further question. It was not his place. Ciel then quickly made his way to the office, determined to regain some of his lost composure from earlier, and thankful that Sebastian would be busy with the dinner for a little while. He desperately needed to be alone. But even as that thought occurred to him, his eye gave a slight tingle, and Sebastian's voice ran in his ears. "My lord, you are never alone." It sent a shiver down his spine, but he tried his best to shrug it off. In only a few hours, he would have to commit possibly the nastiest deed of his life. Surely there was some way to prepare for what he would have to do.

* * *

As the sun hang low in the sky, a scarlet carriage pulled into the Phantomhive driveway, pulled by tow, gleaming white mares. The driver pulled the carriage to a stop in front of the steps leading to the main doors. Snake stood at the ready by the foot of the stairs and stepped forward immediately to open the carriage door. Stepping aside, he held out his hand. A delicately gloved hand reached out and rested gently on top of his. Leaning on it ever so slightly, the young woman rose gently from her seat and gracefully exited the carriage. Elizabeth gave Snake an elegant smile as she glided forward. Snake blushed every so slightly. He thought the lady was quite beautiful that evening.

Once she was securely on the ground and a few steps away from the carriage, Snake offered his hand out once again, and another gloved hand reached out to rest gently on his. The Marchioness exited next, and her presence was as commanding as ever. She had aged gracefully over the years and was still a remarkably strong woman. She glanced at Snake, offering no smile like her daughter, but for a woman like the Marchioness, this was high praise, because it meant she wasn't expressly displeased. Snake had only encountered the Marchioness a few times in his service over the years, but she frightened him to his core. He couldn't imagine how the footman for the Middleford family could not freeze up every time he was around her.

After the Marchioness let go of his hand, Snake gave a deep bow, and the Marquis Middleford stepped out of the carriage. Oddly enough, he didn't carry nearly as commanding of a presence as his wife, but he was still a man whose presence demanded respect. After all, he was married to the Marchioness. His mustache bristled slightly as he gave Snake a hearty smile. It was obvious where Lady Elizabeth got her traits from. Her impeccable beauty came from her mother without a doubt, but her gentle demeanor, her joyful disposition, those had surely been an influence of her father's.

The mansion doors opened above them, and Tanaka gave them a deep bow in the doorway before stepping aside to allow them in. Walking in to the foyer, the inside of the manor gleamed at them, every surface of it had been polished and exquisitely prepared for their arrival. Ciel and Sebastian stood in the center of the grand foyer to welcome them. Both of them gave very deep bows.

As Ciel straightened, he brought his right hand to his chest, saying,

"Welcome to my manor. I trust your journey was a pleasant one?" He was a gentleman to the core. Elizabeth inwardly beamed with pride at his presentation. He gently glided forward to take the hand of the Marquis, gripping it in a firm handshake. Elizabeth's father raised an approving eyebrow at Ciel's grip. Chuckling a little, the older man responded,

"Oh, I always enjoy traveling. Though I can't speak for all present company." He shot a knowing smile toward his wife who pursed her lips slightly. She always preferred traveling by horseback and not by carriage.

Ciel turned his attention to her next, taking her hand and laying a gentle kiss on the silk of her glove.

"You're looking as beautiful as ever, Aunt Frances."

"Always the charmer, aren't you Ciel? You know your way around words, but has your shot gotten any better?" Her tone was harsh but still held a tint of affection in them. She was glad to see her nephew, but she was damned if she was going to let him see that more than necessary.

"But of course. I dare say the next time you and I go hunting, I'll be taking my first victory over you." He smiled teasingly, and the Marchioness scoffed.

"We'll see about that." She removed her hand from Ciel's and brushed some of Ciel's bangs out of his eyes gently. "Your hair is still too inappropriate." A playful smirk played upon her lips, and Ciel pulled away, grateful that she didn't grab his hair by force and slick it back again. He wasn't fond of that look. But Ciel merely smiled and finally turned to Elizabeth.

Taking her hand in his, he laid a gentle kiss on her hand also, though he could feel his insides squirming as he did so. She gave the slightest of blushes, but kept her lady-like composure.

"My lady."

"My lord."

It was a beautiful exchange, and Elizabeth's parents looked on approvingly. The Earl would be an excellent husband for their precious daughter. Ciel stood up straight, offering his arm to Elizabeth. She looped her arm through his with a smile that could melt the heart of half the men in London. Unfortunately, it had little effect on Ciel.

"Aunt Frances, I've arranged for Tanaka to give you and the Marquis a tour of my estate." After a slight pause and a look at the Marchioness, he added, "A proper tour this time." Tanaka was by his side in that instant, bowing humbly.

The Marchioness smirked, remembering the last time Sebastian had attempted to give her a tour, and they had failed to impress. "Very well," She said. "And where will you be?"

"I was going to take Elizabeth for a stroll in the gardens and show her the new floral arrangements my gardener prepared." He placed his left hand on top of Elizabeth's, which was resting neatly on his arm. Offering the Marchioness a reassuring smile, he added, "Of course, Sebastian will be with us as well."

She raised a questioning eyebrow at Ciel, but said nothing. The Marquis instead placed a hand around her waist and placed his other hand on Tanaka's shoulder. "Very well then! Let's take a look at this grand estate of yours, Earl!" He gave Tanaka's shoulder a light pat. "Lead the way, good sir!" The Marquis de Middleford was truly a good-natured man. The three of them made a wonderful family. Ciel was glad to think his refusal of the engagement would keep that family out of danger.

As Elizabeth's parents ascended the main stairs, Ciel led Elizabeth outside to the gardens, with Sebastian following closely behind them. Elizabeth stepped gracefully in time with Ciel's steps. A slight blush accented her features. She had to admit, she was a bit surprised that Ciel had offered for them to have some time to themselves. He wasn't the type to ever be affectionate. She had acted rather childishly when she left the estate the previous day, so she was a bit unsettled when she had arrived earlier. But as they walked together, with Ciel's strong arm supporting her own, she felt her doubts slowly dissipate. She even began to feel sorry that she had ever suspected either him or Sebastian of any transgressions, though she couldn't put to mind what those could even be.

As they walked through the gardens, Sebastian began to recite the new features that were put in place, though he felt his effort was in vain. Elizabeth was hardly listening, she was so focused on the man beside her, and Ciel was so bothered by what he was going to do, he certainly wasn't listening to a single word. Nevertheless, Sebastian carried out his duties with perfection, reciting the names of the new flowers and their particular arrangements. Occasionally Elizabeth would remark that one particular arrangement was particularly lovely, but aside from that the two of them were silent.

After they strode past the rose bushes and the topiaries, Sebastian led them into a hedge maze through a leafy arch, which smelled strongly of violets. Here Sebastian ceased his drabble and stepped in time behind them a few ways back, allowing Ciel to speak to Elizabeth in near privacy. Of course, it was improper to leave them completely alone, but he was far enough away to avoid eavesdropping unnecessarily. Though there wasn't any real need for that either. But he knew it would be easier for Ciel to make his move without his presence hanging about so obviously.

Ciel knew what Sebastian was doing by stepping away from them, and his stomach clenched with nervousness. Ciel had decided to tell Elizabeth before telling her family. She deserved to hear his decision first in private, not at the same time as everyone else. He wouldn't turn her into a spectacle. He refused to put her on the spot before her family. But that didn't make it any bit easier.

"Elizabeth." He began, his voice slightly choking. He kept his pace walking and looked straight ahead.

"Yes Ciel?"

"You've become quite a beautiful lady."

"Eh?" Elizabeth blushed furiously. This was not like Ciel. Something had changed in him, she could feel it.

"We've been together since we were little. You were an adorable little girl, but now you're positively radiant. I think I've made quite a few enemies among the young noblemen who would like to be your husband."

Sebastian smirked behind them. Although his master didn't consider himself to be a heartbreaker, his current speech said otherwise. He was flattering her, easing her into the pit he would eventually drop her into. Whether or not he realized it, he was being extremely cruel. It was rather demonic actually. They were tactics Sebastian had used in the past to beguile souls into his grip. One sets them in a false sense of security, then as they begin to trust, one had little to do but to reach out and take away their safety, their being. Sebastian thought it was amazing. They were so alike.

"You're my dear cousin, Elizabeth. I care for you very deeply."

Elizabeth gripped Ciel's arm tightly. Something was wrong. He had never addressed her as his cousin before. Even as children they had always called one another their fiancee.

"Because I care for you, you need to understand the truth about me and who I am."

Ciel stopped abruptly and Elizabeth looked cautiously into his face. His eyes held no emotion. Releasing her grip on him, he turned to face her, looking into her emerald green eyes.

"Eight years ago, my parents were brutally murdered and my house was razed to the ground." Elizabeth lowered her eyes. She remembered the day she had heard the news. She had panicked, she was inconsolable. She had been so heartbroken for weeks following the news, and when Ciel returned a month later, she had been overflowing with joy. It was such a turbulent time for them all, she remembered. How could she forget?

"Eight years ago, I disappeared for a month." Elizabeth gripped her hands tightly together, her eyes still focused on the ground beneath them. Why was he reminding her of those awful times? Weren't they behind them now? Weren't they in the past?

"When I came back, I was a changed person." Yes, Elizabeth knew that all too well. He had lost his smile, his joy. The little boy she loved so much came back a broken man, and she had done everything in her power to try and make him happy again since that time. She couldn't help but feel she had failed.

"Do you want to know what happened to me during that month?" Elizabeth slowly lifted her head, daring to look into Ciel's eyes. They were pained, his teeth were gritted. It hurt him to remember. She didn't want him to feel this way. She wasn't sure why he was doing this to himself, to them. Why now? But she said nothing, merely bit her lip and waited for him to continue. As painful as it was, Ciel felt it was important for her to know. He was confiding in her, giving her his heart and trusting her to not break it. She had to let him continue.

"They branded me, like a slave." He put his arm around himself to touch a spot on his back. Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock and her mouth fell open. She wanted to speak, but Ciel continued, cutting off any response. "They tortured me, violated me, humiliated me." His voice trembled, but he continued. "I was kept in a cage like an animal. And day by day they used me for whatever ill humor they saw fit. They beat me, whipped me, raped me, they laughed at me. They laughed at my namesake, my family." Elizabeth didn't want to hear anymore. She reached out her arms gripped at Ciel's arms. He didn't have to say anymore, she understood. It was enough.

Ciel gave a bitter laugh. "Do you want to know why they did that to me?" Elizabeth's eyes pleaded for his silence. What reason could they have other than they were horrible people? Why did it matter anymore? She wanted to reach out and hold him tight, but something held her back. Something held her tongue, and Ciel kept speaking.

"Do you know why they resented the name of the Phantomhive family?" He gave her a sinister smile. "This line has served Her Majesty for generations. This blood has been spilled for centuries in service to the Queen. We live in the darkness. On the surface we are a noble, respectable family. Underground we are every bit as rotten as the criminals we expose. But that's where we belong. We live as criminals to expose them. We became one of them in order to wipe out the worst of them." He placed one of his hands on Elizabeth's and made her look him in the eye. She was surprised to see that his eyes held no regret.

"When I came back, I took my place among my forefathers. I returned to the underworld to expose the thieving bastards who took my family from me. I restored the Phantomhive name in order to find revenge, and I put my life on the line, hoping the same villains who killed my parents will come for me one day." Elizabeth's eyes welled up with tears. How could she have known all of this? What could she have done to ease Ciel's pain?

"I've killed people, Elizabeth. These are tainted hands, can you stand the sight of them?" Elizabeth's breath was coming in gasps. She could not stop the tears that streamed from her face. She wasn't sure how to respond to any of this. Her emotions confused her. She didn't want to see Ciel this way. But she knew this was not about what she wanted. How selfish had she been all this time to never realize his pain, his suffering? How could she not have felt this burden he bore? Did she know him at all? How could she have been so naive?

"This is the world I live in, Elizabeth." Then sighing heavily, he gently removed Elizabeth's hands from his arms and held them in his own. Taking a small handkerchief from his pocket, he tenderly wiped the tears from her face. He then took her chin in his hands and lifted her face to look at him. "I can't bring you into the darkness with me, Elizabeth." Her eyes widened. He couldn't be...

"It's not fair to you." She wanted to shut her ears. She knew the words that would follow, and she didn't want to hear them. She didn't want to let him finish, but still some unspeakable force kept her mouth from speaking.

"I don't want to put you in danger." She felt her heart shattering under the weight of his words. Ciel thought he was being kind, but what did he know of her feelings? He was breaking off their engagement. He didn't want her by his side. That was more hurtful than anything she knew.

"You're my only family now." She wanted him to give her a chance. Even knowing now the extent of Ciel's duties, even knowing what he truly lived with, she wanted to be there for him. She wanted to help him. Why wouldn't he let her try?

"But Ciel..." she finally managed to choke out through her tears. "I want to be with you." She knew it wasn't ladylike to say such things. She knew her current state was pitiful, but she had to be honest with Ciel. He had been so honest with her, she needed him to know how she felt. He had trusted his heart to her. She felt she had to do the same. She wouldn't disappoint him. She trusted him to not disappoint her.

"Your mother surely knew what she was getting into when she married your father." Ciel looked at her cautiously. Even after everything he had said, she insisted on loving him. She was in pain, he had caused her tears. She hadn't wanted to know any of these painful truths, but he had forced them onto her. And still she looked at him through tear-stained yes with nothing but concern for him. Even now she was still more concerned with him than for herself. But he couldn't love her back. He couldn't return any of her kindness. What more would he have to say to push her away? As soon as the question formed in his mind, his right eye tingled. No, he couldn't...

"She chose to stay by your father's side, regardless of the consequences. She didn't let his duty get in the way of their love. And I too..." Ciel placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. He had no choice.

"There's more." Elizabeth blinked in confusion. "Sebastian," He called. Elizabeth jumped at the call of his name, stepping back slightly. She had forgotten that Sebastian was there. He stepped forward calmly, completely unmoved by the scene that had just played out in front of him. As he grew closer, the air felt heavier to Elizabeth. She found herself gasping slightly, and she felt a crushing weight in her chest. The familiar feeling she had felt yesterday came back in a wave, but it was much stronger. It was positively suffocating. He walked around to stand behind his master, looking at her with steady garnet orbs. He lifted his hands, Ciel slowly closed his eyes, and Sebastian gently untied the eyepatch, letting it slip carelessly to the ground. Elizabeth found it difficult to swallow. All she could do was watch in horror as Ciel slowly opened his eyes, and she saw a hideously glowing emblem on his right pupil. Her head swam with questions, she felt her legs grow weak beneath her.

Before she could even gasp, however, Sebastian once again lifted his hands. His motions were hypnotic. Painful as it was to watch, Elizabeth felt compelled to stay put, unable to avert her eyes. Sebastian gently, sensually wrapped his arms around Ciel's body and pulled off his left glove, revealing the same insignia glowing red on his hand, his fingertips laced with black. Realization struck her as if an icy hand had grasped at her heart in the darkness and she slumped to the ground.

_No, he couldn't have..._

Sebastian's eyes glowed an eery red, and he sneered at her as she sat helpless on the ground. Ciel instead looked at her with pity in his eyes. He didn't want to go this far. He kneeled so that he was once again eye level with Elizabeth. She looked away from him, free of whatever spell had fixated her gaze before. She couldn't bear to see him, to see that glowing symbol of hatred.

"Elizabeth..." he whispered softly. But suddenly his voice was like poison to her ears. What more could he possibly have to say to her? What more did she possibly want to know?

"Elizabeth, marriage is a contract." She clutched at her chest, struggling to find air. She grasped at the ground, pulling out the grass and flung her hands to her ears. Why wouldn't he stop talking?

"But I've already made a contract with my soul. My body and soul belong to Sebastian. I am bound to him, as he is to me. I can give you nothing. And you deserve much more than that." Something snapped in Elizbaeth. She couldn't take being in their presence anymore. She couldn't listen to anything further of Ciel's words. She had to get out of there. Her legs found a renewed strength, and she pulled herself clumsily to her feet. Before Ciel could get up to follow her, she ran off as fast as she could, wiping at her tears and tripping over her dress. The air felt like daggers in her lungs, but she could only think to get further and further away. Away from everything she had ever known and everything she was expected to be.

Ciel did not follow. He watched her run out of the hedge maze, turn a corner, and was out of sight. He remained on the ground, his head bowed low. Sebastian kneeled beside him just in time to hear Ciel whisper,

"She looked at me as if I were a monster."

Sebastian gently picked up the fallen eyepatch. Lifting Ciel's chin so that their eyes met, Sebastian offered him a smile, saying,

"My lord, you are a monster."

And Ciel could not protest. Sebastian never told lies. And even Ciel understood the truth of that statement. Caring for Elizabeth did not make him a better person than he was. Wishing for her happiness did not undo his sins. Ciel lowered his eyes in shame, and Sebastian gently wrapped his arms around Ciel's head to tie the eyepatch back into place.

"What's done is done." Sebastian soothed. He meant for that to be consoling, he did. His voice was gentle, affectionate even. Ciel sighed deeply. The sun was getting low in the sky. There was nothing for it. He couldn't exactly expect a better reaction from her parents. The Marchioness especially should be kept from all firearms when she was told the news.

He slowly got to his feet and was walking out of the hedge maze when Elizabeth's ear-splitting scream echoed through the air. Ciel's eyes widened in horror, and he immediately broke out into a run towards the sound of her voice. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, with Sebastian close behind. He should have told Sebastian to run ahead, but his lungs were dedicated now to solely carrying himself forward, and he could not take a deep enough breath to give the order. They ran out of the gardens and towards the stables.

Then they saw him across the lot. A tall, lean man clothed head to toe in form-fitting black stood turned to stare at them for the briefest of seconds. His eyes did indeed glow an eery red, his hair was disheveled, and long, silver nails gleamed on his hands. He flashed a bright grin at them, and Ciel noticed an unconscious Elizabeth draped under his arm. With a sadistic wave of his hand, he leaped over the main gates of his estate, a marvelous feat to be sure, then dashed away faster than lightning. The only thing Ciel could do in time was to scream Elizabeth's name in horror.

Gasping for air, he fell to his knees. His screams rang through the manor, and in a few minutes, the Marquis and the Marchioness burst out of the main doors to find Ciel slumped on the ground with Sebastian leaning over him. Tanaka followed swiftly behind them, and Snake ran over from the stables. Ciel was gasping for air, and he could not stop his voice from screaming in agony. He was crying, but unable to shed any tears. Tanaka ran forward to kneel beside Ciel, assessing his master's condition. Ciel was very literally having a panic attack. His vision swam, he was gasping uncontrollably. _How could this have happened? It was right under his nose! _

"Snake! Fetch water immediately!" Tanaka barked, and Snake sprang to action. But around Ciel's gasps and panic, the Marchioness finally spoke up softly.

"Where is my daughter?"

Silence settled upon everyone present. Ciel tried his best to calm his panic, gripping tightly to Sebastian's arm for stability. Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows, and the Marchioness felt the panic rising in her chest as well. She clutched at her husband's frame, and demanded a little more loudly,

"Where is she? Where is Elizabeth!"

Snake quickly returned with a bowl of water, and Ciel grasped at it, spilling more of it onto himself than into his throat. Gulping it down in his panic, he choked and sputtered and convulsed slightly. Sebastian and Tanaka both held him tightly, concern written expressly on their faces.

The Marchioness was hysterical now, demanding an answer she dropped to her knees in front of Ciel and gripped his shoulders tightly, shaking him violently.

"Where is Lizzie?"

"Frances!" The Marquis stepped forward to hold back his hysterical wife, although concern was etched onto his features as well, but Ciel stopped him, lifting his head and gasping only slightly now.

Looking painfully into his aunt's face, he whimpered miserably.

"He took her. I tried, I failed... I couldn't stop him... He took her."

The Marchioness gave Ciel a violent shake, digging her nails into his shoulders. Ciel winced at the pain.

"Who took her?"

"Spring-Heeled Jack." Ciel bowed his head in defeat. The Marchioness released her grip, sinking backwards, gasping in horror.

_I failed... My only family... How could this have happened?_

Ciel's thoughts bemoaned him, the Marchioness burst into tears, sobs racking her body. In the presence of the pain and agony before him, Sebastian leaned down, whispering into Ciel's ear.

"My lord." Ciel gasped as he felt his eye burn. "Your orders."

Ciel felt his breath slowly calm, his composure slowly returning. The Marchioness was sobbing into her husband's arms, his servants all stood on standby for his orders. What could they do without a hand to lead them? Who was the master of this estate? Ciel gripped the grass beneath his fingers tightly and shouted into the night.

"Sebastian! This is an order! Find Spring-Heeled Jack!"

Bowing deeply before dashing off into the inky black, Sebastian whispered, "Yes, my lord."


	9. Venatus

**DISCLAIMER**: Kuroshitsuji is not mine, it is the property of Yana Toboso. This Disclaimer stands for all following chapters, because I'm lazy and don't feel like writing it all the time.

_Oh goodness, this chapter makes me feel like a horrible person._

_Venatus means "Hunt" in Latin_

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**Venatus**

Sebastian ran as fast as his form would allow, following the scent of Spring-Heeled Jack. The scent was musky, and heavily masked with human contaminants. Sebastian could not tell what the creature was by scent alone. But he was now certain it was no human who could do these dastardly deeds. Nor was it simply another fallen reaper.

Darting across the rooftops, they were now coming upon London proper. He could smell Elizabeth's perfume in the air. Good, that meant he was close.

As his lithe from jumped effortlessly from roof tiles to chimney tops, Sebastian remembered Ciel's traumatized form, kneeling on the ground immediately after the abduction. It had been a very long time since his asthma had acted up so badly, or that anything had been enough to send Ciel into a panic-stricken frenzy. Sebastian had thought that Ciel was past all that. As a child, he was certainly still prone to such moments of weakness, and understandably so. As much as he tried to be an adult and be lord of his house, he was still just a thirteen year old boy. He had been forced to mature much faster than most, but that didn't mean he was completely mature. He had broken down in Baron Kelvin's mansion at the sight of the slaughtered children, and in his madness, he had carelessly ordered Sebastian to kill them all.

Since then, he had kept his cool consistently, and even the most gruesome things didn't seem to faze him anymore. There were slight moments where Sebastian could sense his master's mind faltering, but he hadn't seen Ciel's tears in a very long time. And he seemed to be truly devastated when Elizabeth had been taken. Seeing Ciel like that over a silly creature like Elizabeth stirred something in Sebastian. It felt similar to rage, but it wasn't quite the same.

Truth be told, he didn't want to rescue her. He didn't care how much she meant to Ciel. Or rather, it was because she meant so much to Ciel that he wanted to be rid of her. Sebastian felt that same sensation stir within him again. When he tried to stifle it, it reared its head against him with twice the strength. It was as vicious and as relentless as a hydra, and Sebastian couldn't remember the last time he had felt such a thing.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a dark figure in the distance leaping in and out of his field of vision. Finally, he had managed to catch up to the wicked creature. Sebastian doubled his pace, wanting to get the ordeal over with as quickly as possible.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the manor, the Marchioness was positively inconsolable, and not without good reason. After a period of prolonged sobbing, she had so little strength, it was all she could do to pass out in the guest room. As she slept, the others sat in silence in the dining hall. Sebastian's perfectly cooked dinner was slowly going cold before them. No one could speak, much less eat. The Marquis had his face buried in his hands on the table, and Ciel was grasping his fingers so tightly that his knuckles were white. Tanaka stood by him, staring at him cautiously.

Something in Tanaka knew that Ciel hadn't told the complete truth. Yes, Spring-Heeled Jack must have taken Lady Elizabeth. But there was more to it than that. There was so much anger, so much guilt reflected in that eye, he knew his master was hiding something. If the only thing that happened was that Spring-Heeled Jack leapt into the gardens and stole Lady Elizabeth away, ther would not be guilt on his expression. His master was reasonable enough to understand that he could not be blamed for such an event. But something else had happened. Ciel had done something, something for which he felt responsible leading up to the abduction.

Tanaka's thoughts were interrupted when the Marquis spoke with a cracked voice. "Tanaka, would you please bring us some brandy?"

Ciel frowned slightly. It was not a good idea to take this opportunity to drink one's self senseless, but he couldn't very well refuse. The man was in a very sticky situation, and apparently, the best way he knew to cope was with alcohol. Ciel could hardly approve. But when Tanaka directed a questioning look his way, Ciel gave a slight nod. Tanaka swiftly moved to fetch the liquor, leaving Ciel alone with the Marquis.

The Marquis spoke again, his voice growing firmer with every word that left his lips.

"Now tell me, Earl Phantomhive, I am unaware of the news lately. But who in the world is Spring-Heeled Jack?" He looked at Ciel through sunken eyes, and Ciel bit his lip. But respectfully, he answered.

"He has been in the news lately as a menace to the citizens of London. He was so named because of his ability to leap extreme heights. I saw that for myself tonight."

"Is he a... a... m-"

"He hasn't murdered anyone yet." Ciel responded, saving the Marquis the trouble of finishing that sentence.

"Yet." The Marquis repeated, the word hanging bitterly on his tongue.

Tanaka returned with a bottle of the Earl's finest Brandy, and two glasses. He poured out the first one for the Marquis, then the second for Ciel. Before he had even placed Ciel's glass before him, the Marquis had quickly gulped down his glass. He held it out, requesting more. Tanaka graciously obliged. Ciel didn't touch his glass.

The Marquis held the second glass in the air in a mock toast.

"Cheers." He stated, waiting for Ciel to raise his glass as well. Ciel wanted no part in this nonsense. In a crisis situation, level heads were needed. As the head of the Middleford household, the Marquis had no business getting himself intoxicated immediately after his daughter's abduction.

_What a useless man._

When Ciel did not respond, the Marquis shook his glass a little in the air.

"Come now, Earl. Shouldn't you make more of an effort to humor your guests?"

Ciel supposed that if Elizabeth took her personality from her father, then her inability to keep her emotions in check had been inherited from him as well. It had been a bothersome trait, but she had grown out of it as she grew older. Unfortunately, her father was not the same way.

"I find this behavior inappropriate for the situation at hand." His lips pursed in distaste.

The Marquis clicked his tongue in annoyance, but did not try to push him further. He merely drank his brandy, allowing himself to be slowly inebriated. He felt utterly helpless, and he welcomed the inebriation that alcohol would bring. His mind swam with dark thoughts, and his own imagination presented worse situations than the one he was in. He gripped one hand inside the other tightly, cursing his own powerlessness. His little girl was in trouble. He was her father, her protector, but what was he doing now? He was depending on this young Earl and his butler.

Elizabeth's childish face appeared in his mind, her eyes gleaming. He could still feel how light she was in his arms as a child, he could still hear the cheerful ringing of her laughter in his ears. She loved to be held and flung in the air, and he had always been there to catch her as she fell. But now...

"Lizzie..." he muttered helplessly. Ciel clenched his fingers. He could feel the agony in that voice. He could sense how helpless the Marquis felt. They were feelings he understood, feelings he could sympathize with. But he was no longer helpless. He was no longer a child. And he would not break down. But for this man sitting across from him, who had never known true loss, he could offer him this one moment of weakness. He gestured at Tanaka, who placed a small handkerchief by the Marquis. Then Ciel rose from his chair and left the room silently, so that the Marquis could be spared from having an audience at his moment of despair.

"Lizzie..." The Marquis repeated her name pathetically. For some reason, calling her name brought him some small amount of solace. "Lizzie... my Lizzie..."

Ciel gently closed the door behind him, leaving Tanaka to take care of the broken old man. He had stopped calling her Lizzie long ago. It took her forever to get him to instinctively call her Lizzie when they were children. But as they both matured, the formalities replaced themselves. Ciel did not find it appropriate to call her Lizzie, and she, in becoming a lady, no longer bothered to correct him. But at that moment, hearing the muffled moans of her father on the other side of the door, Ciel found that he could not stop his lips from also muttering her name.

"Lizzie..."

* * *

The perpetrator named Spring-Heeled Jack leapt from rooftop to rooftop, carelessly handling his prize. Elizabeth lay limp in his arms, her hair completely undone from the neat bun it had been in earlier and still very unconscious. The man stole a glance at her sleeping face and marveled at its beauty. She was perfect. But his thoughts had slowed him down ever so slightly, and it was then that he became aware of the dark presence that had been following him for miles.

The kidnapper stopped abruptly atop the next rooftop he jumped onto and turned around to face his pursuer. At first glance, he almost mistook the man for a human, with the way he was dressed. A butler of all things!

"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice brazen and loud.

Sebastian stopped, landing on the most adjacent rooftop to Spring-Heeled Jack's. Placing his right hand gingerly on his breast, he answered,

"I am the head butler to the Phantomhive family, Sebastian Michaelis." It was a practiced phrase, delivered without a second thought.

"You're lying."

"I do not lie." Honestly, was it so hard for people to understand that Sebastian was not the sort to lie? He may be a demon, but that didn't mean it was impossible for him to delight in the truth.

"Fine. But it's not the whole truth. It's plain to anyone what you really are."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. As he thought, Spring-Heeled Jack was indeed inhuman.

"You're a demon."

"I'm just one hell of a butler."

"You're a demon, and you're after my prize. But you can't have her, because I got to her first, you see?" He shook Elizabeth's sleeping figure gently, as if to accentuate his phrase.

"I'm afraid Lady Elizabeth is not yours to have. You see, she is betrothed to the young Earl Phantomhive." Sebastian frowned in disgust. This was clearly a lesser demon, most likely an incubus. He was crass and unmannered, so much like the mindless drabble his kind was composed of. It was because of creatures like Spring-Heeled Jack that demons were given such an awful disposition in folklore.

"That's not what it looked like when I picked her up. Seems to me like she just had her heart broken. Poor thing." He laid a gentle caress on her cheek.

"For all your brazen pretense, what exactly are you?" Sebastian would ask the questions now.

Spring-Heeled Jack let out a keen, high laugh. Straightening his posture and laying a clawed hand to his breast, he announced, "Why, I am the great Mephistopheles." He gave Sebastian a smug grin, who merely sighed.

"If you were going to lie, you should've chosen a less obvious one."

Jack pouted, hoping to have toyed with his hunter a little.

"And here I wanted to see you tremble in fear. But since you gave me your name, I'll give you mine. My name is Malchior of Nor. I, like you Mr. Michaelis, am a demon."

"You are a lesser demon." Sebastian's reply was sharp, and Malchior hissed in anger.

"You're one of those arrogant types, aren't you? Looking down on me just because I'm not of a particular class of demon. But authority was not given to you to judge. We've all already been judged, and we both belong to the damned. That's all that matters."

"Maybe so, but that's not the issue here."

"Oh that's right. You want this little one." Malchior gently laid Elizabeth down on the rooftop, kneeling beside her tenderly. "I suppose, I could give her back to you when I'm done with her."

"What does that entail?"

"I'm sure you've already guessed that I'm an incubus."

Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows. What an unpleasant creature. But he allowed him to continue speaking.

"And lately, I've felt the need to produce an heir. Imagine, a little cambion of my own to raise into my dastardly ways..." Malchior's eyes glowed with an eery light.

"I looked all over London, but I just couldn't find the right woman to have my child. I realized that half of them were unworthy only after I ravished their bodies." Malchior closed his eyes in ecstacy, recalling his lustful deeds. Sebastian could only listen with utter disgust. Scotland Yard didn't have any reports of women who had actually been raped, but that shouldn't have surprised him. Women who had been raped wouldn't report their situation out of some misplaced notion of shame. Spring-Heeled Jack had been a much larger menace than he had anticipated.

"And then I saw this little flower. Something in that tear-stained face just tugged at something within me, and I knew. I had to have her. She has exactly the quality I was looking for."

"And what, pray tell, was that?"

Malchior looked up, grinning from ear to ear with maddening fire in his eyes. He held her body close as he whispered,

"Frailty."

Sebastian eyed him carefully. Malchior began to run his fingers through Elizabeth's hair, gently tucking the stray strands behind her ears and combing the rest back into submission.

"Most of the women fought back, you know. They would scream and cry, kick and pull. They're not nearly as weak as men like to think they are. In times of crisis, they can really come alive, despite how feeble their attempts may be."

How ironic, Sebastian thought. As a demon, Sebastian only ever contracted with humans he believed were strong. He didn't care for the weak rabble, the masses who could only think to keep themselves alive for one more day. He wanted souls with flavor. Whether that flavor was pride or wrath, as long as it was determined, as long as it wasn't weak, he would be willing to serve them. But this Malchior, who kneeled before him, deliberately searched for the weak. He wanted to produce a child, and he looked for the weakest, most pathetic of human females to procreate with. Sebastian found this peculiar.

"If you want an heir, why would you choose the weakest woman you could possibly find? Wouldn't that affect the strength of your cambion?"

"A half demon is a half demon, regardless of what mortal blood they obtain. You see, it's the demon's blood that makes any difference. And the reason for desiring a weaker woman is because they're less able to resist my poisonous aura. Laying with me has a deteriorating effect on their health. After I've had my way, she'll spiral quickly on the path to death. The strength of my child will sustain her until she gives birth, but then she'll quickly pass as a result of that childbirth."

"In other words, you want to provide them with a slow, painful death."

"I just want to claim what's mine. If they're alive, they'll want to cling to my child. Women are so demanding about children. It's much more convenient for me if they just die quickly."

All at once, Sebastian felt the seal of his contract burning. His master was distraught, and a single word passed into his mind. _Lizzie..._ Sebastian hissed with displeasure. His master was still so concerned over this ridiculous woman. Just earlier that evening he had stomped all over her precious heart, and now he was concerned over her well-being. It was irritating.

"So what do you say, Sebastian Michaelis?" Malchior's voice abruptly brought back Sebastian's attention. "How about you just stand there like a good little boy until I have my way with her, and then you can have her back, and everything will be fine and dandy."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. His master's order had only been to find Spring-Heeled Jack. It had not included bringing back Elizabeth unharmed. And given his simmering jealousy at the moment, Sebastian carefully considered Malchior's offer.


	10. Justitia

**A/N:** _You know, fight scenes are terribly difficult to write properly. I'm not so sure I did a very good job with this, but I hope you'll enjoy it just the same. Thank you for the reviews everyone~! There are only a few chapters left in this series (I think). Thanks for reading along so far~_

_Justitita means Justice in Latin._

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**Justitia**

Elizabeth stirred gently into consciousness. Her body felt exhausted, and her eyes felt swollen from her earlier tears. Keeping her eyes closed, she breathed in deeply. The cool night air was soothing to her lungs and urged her body to become more awake. Slowly she began to realize that she was lying on a very hard, uneven surface. Her hair was no longer in place, and she could hear voices. Focusing on the sound, she heard a male voice speak.

"So what do you say, Sebastian Michaelis?" Her ears perked at the familiar name. Sebastian was here, but who was the man speaking? "How about you just stand there like a good little boy until I have my way with her, and then you can have her back, and everything will be fine and dandy."

Elizabeth's eyes snapped open at that last statement, her eyes quickly adjusting to her surroundings. She saw that she was lying on a rooftop, that Sebastian was a fair distance away on an adjacent rooftop, and that a man was kneeling beside her. She slowly turned her head up to look at him, and in the darkness she saw gleaming red eyes staring intently at Sebastian.

She could not stop the gasp that escaped her, and both of the men turned to face her.

"So you're awake, little one." The man purred at her, leaning closer. Elizabeth tried to crawl away, but he grasped her around her waist and pulled her close, holding her hands together behind her back with one hand and using his free hand to gently caress her cheek. His nails were long, black, and sharp. Elizabeth thought they smelled metallic as they traced along her chin. She dared not scream, she dared not speak. She merely remained frozen, her eyes wide with fear and panic.

"Do we have a deal?" He called out to Sebastian, his playful voice ringing in the night air.

Elizabeth turned her panicked gaze towards Sebastian then, pleading as much as she could with her eyes because she could not plead with her voice. She had no reason to believe that Sebastian would accept whatever horrible deal this strange man offered. Sebastian was a gentleman. Sebastian was not only Ciel's butler, he was Ciel's protector. She knew that he was here to save her. But still she was afraid. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and she took labored, gasping breaths. She couldn't even let out a small whimper against the man that held her tight.

But Sebastian gazed back at her with steady eyes, cold and calculating. They frightened her. They frightened her almost as much as this strange man who held her bound. And all at once Elizabeth remembered the night's events. She recalled Ciel removing his eye patch, Sebastian's gloves, that strange emblem... His eyes gleamed a sinful red in the moonlight. Sebastian lifted a single corner of his mouth into a terrifying grin, and Elizabeth could feel the blood rushing to her ears in her terror. He was a demon. He was a demon contracted to Ciel, and Ciel had discarded her. She shut her eyes tight, fighting back tears. Would she die here? Had he come only to give her a small glimmer of hope only to snatch it away and mock her pitiful state? Had he come only to gloat in his victory of having claimed Ciel for himself?

"Your offer is quite tempting," Sebastian answered, his sultry voice ringing in Elizabeth's ears. "But unfortunately, my lord wants her back unsullied."

Relief flooded Elizabeth's body, and she opened her eyes to give Sebastian a grateful look. He gave her no reassuring smile in return. His eyes were still cold, and he looked at her as if saving her was the last thing he wanted to do. When he didn't need to be the perfect butler, he was a different being entirely. But still this demon was currently her savior.

Unfortunately, Malchior did not have the same grateful reaction as his captive, and he grasped her body tighter, drawing a small moan of discomfort.

"Well then, I suppose negotiations are over."

"Indeed."

Then suddenly, Elizabeth was thrown to the side as Malchior released his grip on her and leaped forward to fling a wide kick at Sebastian. Effortlessly he dodged it, and Malchior's kick landed on the chimney that Sebastian had been standing next to. The force of the attack shattered the chimney into its mere brick components. Both Elizabeth and Sebastian's eyes widened.

Malchior landed a safe distance out of Sebastian's reach and cackled rather maniacally.

"I see you're surprised!" Bouncing playfully from foot to foot, "Getting hit by just one of my kicks would be pretty debilitating." He laughed as Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows. "Let's see how well you can handle it, Sebastian Michaelis!"

He bounded forward again, reaching out with his claws. Sebastian just barely managed to dodge. Malchior's extremely powerful legs not only made his kicks very dangerous, they also made him incredibly fast. One of Malchior's claws just barely managed to graze his jacket, tearing a hole in the fabric across his chest.

_Damn_. Sebastian jumped backward. Why was it that whenever he got into a fight, his clothes always got ruined? Those tailcoats weren't exactly cheap, and they were treasured gifts from his master.

Well, there was nothing for it, he supposed. Barely giving Sebastian time to recover, Malchior blew out a stream of blue flame. Sebastian could feel its heat, though the flames never reached him. He growled low in his throat. What a pitiful lower-class demon. Half of his fighting depended on theatricality and cheap parlor tricks. His defenses were weak. If Sebastian landed in one solid attack, he was sure Malchior would crumple immediately to his knees.

"Well? Where's your counter attack, Sebastian?" His voice was positively giddy. "This will be over very quickly if you have nothing to counter any of my powerful attacks with!"

Already he was taunting him. The battle had barely started, he hadn't yet secured a firm upper hand, and he felt that it was the right time to gloat? Pitiful fool. Malchior mistakenly read Sebastian's disgust as fear and threw his head back to cackle into the night, spitting out intermittent flames.

But his laughter was cut short when he felt something sharp and silver pierce him in his gut. Doubling forward, he grasped at his abdomen and pulled out the cursed weapon, his eyes widening when he saw just what it was. His blood gushed out from the wound, and he could feel a bit of it trickling into the back of his throat. Swallowing it back down, he chuckled lightly.

"A table knife? As expected of a butler, I suppose." Groaning as he regained his footing, Sebastian was beside him in an instant, delivering a swift kick straight to his injury.

The blood that Malchior had swallowed down found its way back up with the impact, and he coughed blood onto the roof shingles. His body was racked with pain. He hadn't anticipated either of those attacks so they had hurt more than they should have. His eyes flashed red, and he snarled.

"You bast-" His curse was swiftly interrupted when Sebastian landed a solid right punch to his jaw. Before he could go flying towards the ground again, Sebastian delivered a quick follow-up punch to his abdomen, then swung his body around for a solid round-house kick to Malchior's neck. He was flung to the adjacent rooftop, landing painfully and tearing up some of the roof shingles.

"A mongrel dog, who only knows how to bear his fangs but not how to bite, should not bark." Sebastian's tone was unforgiving. It was condescending. Malchior's expression shot daggers at him. He was humiliated, he was being looked down upon, and he would not stand for it! He was just another demon. More than that, he was bound by a bothersome leash to a human contractor!

"You are... not... better than me!" Malchior howled. "You..." it pained him terribly to speak. The kick Sebastian had delivered to his neck had nearly crushed his windpipe. "You... serve a filthy human! You bow your head to a lesser being!"

Sebastian took slow steps forward, eyeing Malchior carefully. He was truly despicable. He had thought that he had disabled his ability to speak with that last attack, but apparently this demon was difficult to silence. Malchior stumbled on the ground, struggling to lift his body. He managed to get one knee under him, but he wasn't sure how much more he could manage. Sebastian smiled into the night, his lips mirroring the crescent moon hanging low in the sky.

"And here, you bow your head to me. So where exactly does that put you?" Sebastian had fought countless demons in his day. Few of them ever presented any real challenge. And every lesser demon he had ever encountered all had the same self-esteem issues. They lacked power, they lacked control, and so they lashed out at everything and everyone. They were slaves to their hunger, their desires, they didn't know how to rise above their most carnal ambitions. They hated the hierarchy. They held no respect for even their own arts. They were mindless rabble.

Sebastian's arm darted forward, and his powerful hand enclosed itself around Malchior's neck. Gripping tightly, he slowly brought Malchior up from the ground, then held him over the edge of the rooftop, preparing to drop him.

Malchior's legs flailed and dangled uselessly in the air as he gasped and struggled to breathe. He clawed at the arm that held him up, tearing into the flesh and drawing significant amounts of blood. Sebastian seemed not to notice the pain of having his arm ripped to shreds and merely grinned at Malchior's despairing position. His grip only tightened, and Malchior felt his vision blur. The sounds of his gasping and choking rang out into the night. They were small, disgusting sounds, but they brought joy to Sebastian's ears. He gave a delighted smile into the moonlight.

Elizabeth could only watch in horror from where she sat. She had never seen this side of Sebastian before. But the Sebastian that stood before her now was his true form. The form of the obedient, kind, gentle butler was only a farce. His true nature was one that delighted in pain and agony. Had Ciel ever seen this side of his flawless butler?

Yet even though the demon Sebastian held had kidnapped her and threatened to rape her, she felt herself cringing in sympathy at his wordless cries for mercy. Each sputter of pain made her wince. She was human. Her instinct was to sympathize with the poor creature. She wanted Sebastian to put him down, to stop hurting him.

"Sebastian, stop!" She cried out before she could stop herself.

Sebastian turned his head slowly to stare at her in disbelief. His grip relaxed ever so slightly, and Malchior took in huge gulps of air, glad to have the oxygen flowing into his lungs again. He still held onto Sebastian's bleeding arm to help hold himself up, but he let the rest of his body go limp. He no longer had the strength to fight back. He had heard the little one cry out on his behalf. And though he didn't want her help, he was grateful.

Sebastian stared Elizabeth down, and she felt herself cowering under his piercing gaze.

_This foolish girl..._

Sebastian hissed in anger. He should've taken Malchior's offer. He should've let him rape her to his satisfaction until she was broken and sobbing at his feet. He should've brought her back to Ciel as a broken doll, void of joy. Who did this selfish brat think she was? She had been nothing but a persistent pest. Oh sure, she had matured slightly, but she still served as a hindrance to his lord. She had known nothing before today. Before today she had believed herself to be the most important person in Ciel's life. Before this day she had thought she had his love, that she meant something to him as his future bride. But his eyes had always looked past her. Ciel's gaze had always gone straight through her, to him. Did she think her meaningless existence held any value to him? That he was doing any of this on her behalf?

And now, even after knowing the truth, after seeing darkness for the first time in her sickeningly light-infested life of purity and goodness, she called out to him now to stay his hand. Did she realize the trouble Sebastian had put in for her this night? The trouble he had put in just to tolerate her very existence in the past years?

She pitied this lowly creature dangling in Sebastian's hands? What nonsense. Sebastian began to tighten his grip on Malchior's throat slowly. When he began to struggle again, Elizabeth called out again.

"Sebastian, don't! Please!"

Sebastian turned on her with malice in his eyes.

"Silence, girl!" Elizabeth jumped. She had never heard Sebastian raise his voice. It shook her to her core to hear him shout like that. It was so full of hate and darkness.

Sebastian released his grip on Malchior, dropping him several stories, where he landed on the ground with a sickening crunch. Elizabeth gasped when she heard the sound, but silenced herself quickly when Sebastian wheeled on her next.

"Oh, he won't die from that, don't you worry." Sebastian growled menacingly. Elizabeth felt her heart threatening to burst out of her chest, it was beating so fast. Panic settled low in her stomach as Sebastian's dark aura spread dangerously close to her. She didn't know what had upset him so much, all she knew was that she should be afraid, and she was.

When Sebastian was standing over her, his ruby eyes looking down on her with utter contempt, Elizabeth felt her entire body shivering with fear. She wasn't entirely sure why he was so upset with her, but she knew better than to say anything more.

Sebastian looked down at Elizabeth, and he saw her fear. He had always wanted to put her in her place. For years he had wanted to stand above her and have her understand completely just how beneath him he considered her to be. But he could not enjoy this moment. His anger far exceeded any pleasure he could have derived from feeling her palpable terror. He knelt so that he was eye level to her, but she averted her gaze. She felt she would fall into an abyss if she looked into his eyes at that moment.

"You are no lady, you are an ungrateful child." Sebastian spat at her, his voice dripping with disdain. Elizabeth felt tears forming in her eyes at Sebastian's hateful words. She wasn't ungrateful, by any means. Maybe she wasn't quite the lady she needed to be, maybe she wasn't the lady Ciel needed her to be, but she was certainly grateful to Sebastian. She knew he had saved her life and more this night. Demon or not, she felt thanks.

"I _am_ grateful to you," she whispered softly. "I just... I don't enjoy seeing people in pain."

"He was going to rape you, and force you to bear his child."

"Even then, there's no need to..."

Sebastian slapped her hard, knocking her unconscious. He couldn't stand to hear her annoying voice anymore. Blood trickled from her lip from the force of his blow, coloring her pale features.

Sebastian hauled her up onto his shoulder, holding her rather disgracefully, instead of carrying her like a lady. Glancing down onto the alleyway where he had dropped the infamous Spring-Heeled Jack, he jumped down to stand beside him. Malchior was squirming in pain, a pitiful wreck on the streets of London. Malchior lifted himself onto his elbows with difficulty, glaring at Sebastian. He spit out some of the blood that had pooled in his mouth onto Sebastian's perfectly polished shoes.

"I suppose..." he coughed out, "you think... you've brought me to justice."

"Justice holds no meaning to creatures like you and I." Sebastian delivered a swift kick underneath Malchior, which rolled him over onto his back. "I was merely following my master's orders. Whether or not he had justice as his motivation for giving the order is of no concern to me. In another circumstance..." Sebastian kneeled beside Malchior. "I would have gladly let you have this foolish woman..." He thrust his hand into Malchior's chest, causing him to cough and sputter blood. "I would have had no concern for your rape of any of those other women..." His hand reached slowly deeper, through the ribcage, blood spattering out from every small crevice it could. Some blood splashed onto Sebastian, some onto Elizabeth. Malchior could do nothing but gasp and writhe in pain, his eyes wide and fearful of the coming death. "It was just the wrong place and the wrong time for us to meet." Grasping tightly onto Malchior's heart, Sebastian ripped it out in one quick motion, as Malchior's body gave a final thrash then lay still. His eyes grew dark, and blood gushed out as freely as a fountain from the wound. "That's all it was."

Sebastian held the quivering heart of the demon in his hand. It continued to pulse with an ominous aura though its host was dead. Sebastian could feel the parasitic lust that emanated from the organ in his hand. Cradling it carefully in his hand, he began his journey back home, back to the call of his one and only master.


	11. Rubor

**A/N:** _Definitely stole some lines from the second Musical in this one. You get a virtual wink if you can find them. XD_

_Rubor is a Latin word that has several meanings, and I mean all of them when I use it. In the most literal sense, it means redness and is most often used to reference when someone is blushing. However, it also encompasses shame, modesty, and all that which causes blushing in addition to the capacity to blush._

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**Rubor**

Ciel found himself wandering the gardens for the second time that evening. His eyes settled on the white roses he had ordered Sebastian to plant. They gleamed in the moonlight, twinkling as the night dew settled on their pure white petals. He reached out to pluck one from its home, but it retaliated, slicing Ciel's finger with a clean cut. A single drop of his blood fell onto a rose sitting lower in the patch, tainting its pure white beauty. He brought his finger to his mouth and licked his wound lightly.

"Why white roses, young master?" Sebastian had asked him back when Ciel had given the order.

Why indeed, Ciel thought. Back then, he had an answer in his mind he did not wish to give. They symbolized purity and innocence. These were virtues that had long since been lost to Ciel. He wanted them planted to serve as a reminder of what he had been, what he had lost. It was perhaps a bit depressing, masochistic even, but Ciel didn't want to forget. It would be so easy to let the past go. He had recovered his namesake, his manor, his pride. He fingered the ring that symbolized his dominance of the Phantomhive Household on his finger. As a child, it had been a larger burden to bear, one that could bearly fit on his thumb. But now he wore it proudly, able to carry its full weight, and it rested snugly on his right middle finger.

Ciel let his eyes roam over the expansive grounds, his majestic estate. With the exception of his parents and his innocence, he had reclaimed everything he had lost. He led a comfortable life, with a household of servants who were practically family, and with a perfect butler who provided every service and comfort he could ever think to ask for. How easy would it be to forget that he had ever suffered, that he had ever been subject to humanity's darkest desires. He could have let the memory of his parents fade away into oblivion. He could have donned a new name in a new age and run away from his duty. He could have left this legacy behind to pursue his own happiness, but he didn't. In order to stop himself, he had to be reminded. He looked at the blood-stained rose as if it were a mirror. There was no going back, and there was no running away. He needed to remember.

These white roses had served as a reminder of what he had been long ago. But tonight, Ciel thought they taunted him with an added symbolism. Tonight, they were not representative of his lost innocence, but Elizabeth's. He had snatched away her happiness, shown her the mark of his covenant with a demon, and taken away the happy ignorance she could have had. On top of that, his actions had put her in danger. He did not know what horrors she might be facing this night, or how terrified she must be.

He clenched his fists tight with anger and guilt. Looking to the sky for a reprieve, he instead found the moon dancing playfully behind the clouds, its crescent smile mocking him from above. _Damn it._ Hadn't Sebastian once said that he would even shoot down the moon if it laughed at him?

_Sebastian_...

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a cloud moved overhead, hiding the moon's light and casting a dark shadow on the land. He felt Sebastian's presence creep up behind him. He turned swiftly to see him standing there holding an unconscious Elizabeth in his arms.

"You need only call my name, my lord." Sebastian whispered. Ciel felt his heart give a leap. He had come, she was safe.

He rushed towards them, and cast a worried look at Elizabeth's face. She was sleeping soundly, her breath was even, but her face was troubled, and there was a small trickle of blood falling from her lips.

"Is she..."

"She's a little bruised, but none worse for wear." Sebastian's report of her condition was cold. Ciel's concern for this girl was irksome, but he tried his best not to show his disdain outright.

"Take her inside, immediately. I'll alert her parents."

Sebastian moved swiftly, existing solely to fulfill his master's orders, no matter how distasteful he found them to be. Ciel did not catch the bitterness in his expression, nor the coldness with which he spoke. Ciel was only relieved beyond words to have Elizabeth safe and sound to return to her family. Yes, this would not be a family torn apart with tragedy like his own. He too rushed inside and was headed for the dining hall where he had left the Marquis but was stopped by Tanaka, who stood in the doorway.

"The Marquis has drunk himself to sleep. I have placed him in the guest bedroom with the Marchioness. They will both very likely sleep through the night." Tanaka gave a small bow and smiled. "Sebastian has returned, I presume?"

"Elizabeth is safe. The matter is settled." Ciel relaxed some. The family's tearful reunion could wait until morning. He gave a sigh of relief. For the first time that evening, Ciel noticed his own tension and how exhausted he now was as a result.

"Perhaps it would be a good time for you to rest as well, my lord." Tanaka ushered him upstairs, escorting him part of the way.

When he reached the top of the stairs, Ciel turned. "Should any of them wake up..."

"It will be taken care of, my lord." Tanaka interrupted. "Please take your rest."

Ciel gave a grateful nod to Tanaka, then proceeded to his chamber. Once inside, he immediately cast off his jacket, tossing it carelessly to the floor. He kicked off his shoes in a similarly untidy fashion, making his way to the bed. Plopping down onto it, Ciel gave another sigh. His muscles felt tense all over, and he found that he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep as quickly as possible.

He was about to remove his shirt to dress into his nightgown when he heard a knock at the door. It was no doubt Sebastian.

"Enter."

Sebastian entered, closing the door gently behind him, then lifted a questioning brow at Ciel's jacket and shoes carelessly thrown about the floor. Deciding not to address those issues, he began to speak.

"Lady Elizabeth is sound asleep in the spare guest room, just down the hall from her parents."

Ciel nodded, unbuttoning his shirt as he listened to Sebastian.

"What of Spring-Heeled Jack?"

"Of course, I did away with him as well."

"What sort of creature was he?" Ciel sat with his hands on either side, having given up changing for the moment. He was curious to hear Sebastian's report. His shirt hung open, exposing his bare torso to the candlelight. Sebastian could not help running his eyes over him as he spoke.

"Nothing but a lower class demon. He had been attacking women around London because he was looking for someone to carry his cambion. He apparently thought Lady Elizabeth would be the perfect candidate, because she is fragile."

Ciel frowned in disgust. What a truly distasteful creature, he thought.

"I'm glad you got to her in time before he could do anything worse."

"Worse? My lord, aside from carrying her a little indelicately, he never laid a finger on the Lady."

Ciel stopped to consider what Sebastian said. "But she was bleeding, and her cheek was slightly bruised."

"I have to admit, I didn't think I hit her hard enough to draw blood." Ciel wheeled on Sebastian, feeling anger boiling up to his ears.

"You laid a hand on Elizabeth?" He hissed through his teeth. Ciel rose from the bed and darted towards Sebastian, grasping fistfuls of his collar and jacket. Though he was still shorter than Sebastian by about a head, he looked defiantly up into his eyes, seething. Ciel rarely felt the need to be violent, but he was a hair's breath away from landing a solid punch into Sebastian's face.

"She was being a hindrance." But Sebastian was unfazed by Ciel's anger. He made no motion to remove Ciel's hands nor to defend himself.

"I ordered you to-"

"You ordered me to get rid of Spring-Heeled Jack. She was trying to stop me, which made her an obstacle. And obstacles are always removed." He smirked, enjoying the irony of quoting Ciel's own words back to him.

"How dare y-"

"How dare I? You were the one who cast her aside out of your life. You made it seem as though she was no longer important to you. Then you turned around and panicked when she was taken, as though you still cared." Sebastian's patience was running thin. Humans were deceitful, hypocritical creatures, and many times, he forgot that his master could be exactly the same way.

"Of course I care!" Ciel shook Sebastian, his grip tightening. Sebastian's eyes flashed red at Ciel's words. "She is my cousin! She's family! Why would you-"

"You gave yourself to me." Sebastian interrupted, and for the first time, Ciel thought he head a bit of bitterness in his words. "You are not supposed to call anyone's name but my own, you are not supposed to desire anyone other than myself."

Suddenly Sebastian grabbed Ciel's wrists, forcing him to undo his grip, then pushed him backwards onto the bed, pinning his arms on either side of him. Although Ciel struggled with as much strength as he could muster, Sebastian was still a demon, and he was using his demonic strength to keep him down. The more he struggled, the more Sebastian's grip tightened. Ciel could feel his wrists bruising underneath that tight grasp.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I am simply reclaiming what's mine." Sebastian began to trail kisses down Ciel's neck. They were rough, insistent, desperate.

"You-" Ciel's words were cut off abruptly when Sebastian sealed his mouth with his own. His tongue explored Ciel's mouth, demanding attention, and Ciel found he could not resist. Under the demon's touch he felt his anger fading rapidly to be replaced by fervid desire.

When they finally parted to allow for air to fill their lungs again, Ciel looked carefully into Sebastian's eyes. They were more than just their usual pools of desire. There was more. There was a hint of jealousy, and even pain. He wasn't sure demons could even feel such things.

"Sebastian..." he whispered. He wanted to reach out to him, to touch his cheek in reassurance. But reassurance of what, he wasn't sure. Unfortunately, Sebastian held his hands steadfast and resumed the hungry kisses over his bare torso.

"Sebastian, let me..." Ciel moaned, arching his back to get closer to him, but wanting to free his hands.

Sebastian bit roughly at his nipple, making Ciel cry out in slight pain. He was going to teach his master a lesson tonight.

Ciel could feel the malice in Sebastian's motions. He would see no trace of the gentle lover from the night before in his current state. His fingers tingled from the lack of circulation caused by Sebastian's vice-like grip. Sebastian bit at him all over. When he suckled in his neck, he let his teeth sink down just enough to avoid drawing blood. It was painful, but it was exhilarating. Despite the pain he was causing him, Ciel knew it was because of the depth of Sebastian's desire for him. This was how the demon truly felt.

Many times Ciel wondered about the facade of the perfect butler Sebastian always wore. What words from the demon could he trust? As a child he had been plagued by visions of his smile. How sincere were those lips, how much caring was truly reflected in those eyes? How much of it was a lie? When he held him tenderly, was he showing any real affection? Could demons even feel such things?

Sebastian closed Ciel's mouth with a searing kiss, exploring his mouth roughly. Ciel could not resist returning the passion. He could not deny this demon's lust, nor his own. He felt a tremendous heat pooling in his belly. His heart was racing. Sebastian pulled away from the kiss and roughly bit at Ciel's lower lip. This time, he bit down hard, and Ciel cried out. He felt blood trickling from his lip. Sebastian lapped at it hungrily. The seal of their covenant burned on both of their bodies. It was so elemental for the both of them to be bonded this way.

As Ciel saw Sebastian's eyes gleaming red with sin as he tasted Ciel's blood, Ciel knew this was not a lie. This was no farce. He wasn't sure about the demon's ability to feel love, but he knew the demon felt insatiable desire. He knew he delighted in pain. He knew that everything Sebastian was doing to him now was for his own sake, drawn from his own wishes, and not placating any wishes Ciel might have had. When Sebastian was gentle, Ciel doubted him with every fiber of his being. But when Sebastian was rough like this, when he was being savage, bestial, and sadistic, Ciel trusted that all of it was honest. The demon did truly want him. Ciel moved his hips at the thought, wanting more of Sebastian's touch, more of his abuse. He wanted to feel Sebastian's warmth against himself, grinding...

Sebastian smirked at Ciel's eager response. So his master liked it rough, did he?

He let go of Ciel's wrists at last to free his own hands. In one swift motion, he tore off Ciel's pants, making a mental note to buy a new pair for his master the next time they were in London. Ciel gasped at the sound of ripping fabric, and Sebastian gripped Ciel's penis tightly, almost too tightly. Ciel groaned into his touch, feeling the pressure send waves of heat down his abdomen.

With his hands free, Ciel reached out for Sebastian, grasping at his sleeves and whining at the touch of fabric on his skin. He clawed at the jacket, wanting to be rid of the troublesome barrier that kept their skins from touching. But Sebastian would have none of that. Tonight was not about Ciel's pleasure. He forcefully turned Ciel over onto his stomach on the bed, then slowly unzipped his pants.

Ciel's eyes widened, realizing what was to come. He wasn't at all ready, and they had only done it once.

"Se-Sebast-AHH!"

Ciel's feeble protest was quickly cut off as Sebastian thrust into him without warning, burying his full length deep inside.

"Ngh..!" Ciel bit down, wanting to avoid letting out cries of pain. It was too much too fast. His breath came in ragged gasps. He could feel blood trickling from his anus where the tissue had torn from the sudden invasion. He struggled to adjust to the heat inside him, but Sebastian gave him no time.

Immediately he was thrusting in and out of him mercilessly, giving no heed to Ciel's cries of pain. Ciel grasped fistfuls of the sheets, sweat pouring down his face from the stress. Sebastian tightly grasped both sides of Ciel's hips with his still-gloved hands, forcibly moving Ciel's body at the pace he wanted.

Leaning forward, his breath hot against Ciel's ear, he whispered,

"Nn... does it hurt... ah... my lord?"

His tone was all too pleased. Ciel could feel little pleasure from the closeness however, given the immense pain in his rear. He could give no response, only unintelligible groans and guttural moans, like an animal. Every little gasp and cry of pain was like music to Sebastian's ears. And given the sample of blood he had managed to indulge in earlier, Sebastian was in absolute ecstasy. Ciel was undoubtedly his. And he relished the feeling of the man writhing beneath him.

At long last, Ciel was starting to feel more pleasure than pain. He felt himself finally accommodating Sebastian's movements and feeling accustomed to having Sebastian's rather hefty length inside of him.

"Ahhn... Se-Sebastian..."

Ciel's voice sent Sebastian over the edge, and he quickly came, spilling his seed inside of Ciel and marking him inside as well as out. Panting heavily, he remained inside for a while after, trying to catch his breath. Ciel was struggling to breathe underneath him as well, but that was because he hadn't climaxed yet, and he was desperate for more stimuli.

Smirking, Sebastian slowly pulled out, making Ciel groan in disappointment.

"Sebastian... I need..."

Ciel remained on his hands and knees, wagging his rear in the air slightly, a silent request for Sebastian to stimulate him into his own orgasm as well. But Sebastian merely licked his lips and lay down lazily on the bed beside him.

"If you need something, my lord, I'm afraid you'll have to do it yourself." Ciel's eyes widened at once in shame, and he could feel a blush creeping to his cheeks. His whole body was on fire, and yet Sebastian refused to touch him.

Inviting Ciel to straddle his lap, Sebastian laid gentle hands on Ciel's hips. He would not give more pressure if he could help it.

"Come for me, Ciel..." he whispered.

His sultry voice sent shivers down Ciel's spine. Sebastian would only speak his name in these moments, only when it was appropriate. Ciel tried his best to hide his face beneath his hair, ashamed of how exposed he was.

"Don't be ashamed, Ciel..." Sebastian gave his hips a gentle squeeze.

Even though Ciel was on top, he felt everything but in control. Sebastian's eyes burned into him, and he felt as though his body was not his own. The swirling passions, the unquenchable fire... Some unseen force that was not his own lucid mind guided his hand towards his own erection, grasping it firmly. He gave it a few timid pumps and moaned aloud into his own hand.

"That's right, Ciel..."

Damn that demon. His voice was too sultry. Just hearing him say his name could have sent Ciel over the edge. Opening his eyes slightly, he saw Sebastian watching him intently. Although his entire body gave off the appearance of composure, his eyes were wanton. Ciel licked his lips hungrily. So Sebastian wanted a show, did he?

Ciel brought his free hand up to his lips and began to suck at his fingers voraciously. Sebastian raised a surprised eyebrow. His lord was taking the initiative. Ciel made sure to lick every inch of his fingers, opening his lips so that Sebastian could see how his pink tongue darted over and around his digits. Sebastian let out a sigh of pleasure, and Ciel smirked.

He removed his fingers from his lips and reached around, placing one of his fingers tenderly at his slightly sore entrance. Pushing in as gently as he could, the tissue was still raw from Sebastian's earlier fucking, he inserted his middle finger as deep inside himself as he could muster. His body gave a pleasant shudder, and Ciel slowly moved his finger in and out as he pumped his own erection.

Sebastian felt his mouth watering, and he licked his lips. He had never seen Ciel this... sexual. If he wasn't careful, he'd lose his control and just take Ciel again and again. Instead he kept his hands steady on Ciel's hips, gripping lightly and tried to keep his breathing even, which Ciel was making increasingly difficult.

"Haa... Haa... Ngh!"

Ciel inserted another finger and cried aloud. He was bucking his hips in time with his fingering and he pumped his length faster.

"Ahh... Seba-Sebastian!"

He could not stop the sounds of pleasure that escaped him. He had abandoned all sense of modesty and freely masturbated above Sebastian, calling his name repeatedly. Inserting a third finger, he brushed against his prostate and jumped in delight.

"Ohh.. Sebastian!"

Crying out his name, Ciel came, spilling his seed all over himself and Sebastian, who was still quite clothed. His milky white semen shone in the candelight in contrast to Sebastian's dark butler uniform. Ciel collapsed to Sebastian's side, breathing heavily. Sebastian chuckled lightly, and gingerly removed a glove with his teeth. Using his fingers, he dabbed a small amount of Ciel's cum onto it and brought it to his lips. Ciel blushed fiercely as Sebastian tasted him. Somehow, it was more embarrassing than masturbating had been.

"Do you know what you taste like, my lord?" Sebastian was teasing again. Ciel sought the comfort of his sheets, not wanting to look into Sebastian's eyes.

"...shut up."

Sebastian sat up, getting off the bed, and Ciel turned at the motion. It occurred to Ciel that he hadn't felt Sebastian's warmth at all tonight, and he missed it. He wanted him to stay. Seeing Ciel's unspoken request in his eyes, Sebastian gave a small bow and whispered,

"You are mine, Ciel. I am always by your side." He pulled the sheets up over Ciel to cover him and walked towards the door. When he placed his hand on the door handle, Ciel spoke out.

"Sebastian, you were jealous."

It wasn't a question. Sebastian stood still, his back to Ciel.

"I can understand that. And make no mistake, I know I am yours as you are mine."

Their seals burned.

"By the contract, we are bound." Sebastian whispered.

"We are bound by more than that."

Sebastian's eyes widened with shock, agape at the implications of Ciel's words. He turned to look at him. Ciel was sitting up in his bed, the sheets pooled in his lap. He was looking at Sebastian intently, his right eye glowing a deep purple in the darkness.

"My lord-" Sebastian began to speak, but Ciel interrupted.

"But make no mistake, if you ever lay a hand on Elizabeth again..."

"Understood, my lord." Sebastian gave a deep bow. It wasn't completely apologetic, but it was understanding. Sebastian had to admit, he had been slightly out of line. As a demon, he did not, could not fully comprehend the affections that existed between humans who were family. He had to understand that whatever emotion Ciel felt for Lady Elizabeth were different than what was shared between the two of them. But Ciel belonged to him. And that much was a fact.

"Sleep well, my lord." Sebastian closed the door softly behind him, making a mental note to make sure Mei Lin attended to Lady Elizabeth first thing in the morning.

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**A/N: **Merry Christmas (Eve) everyone~ Hope you enjoy your holiday season, and thank you so much for supporting this story so far. Your reviews are all being read and are very much appreciated.


	12. Persona

**A/N:** _I realize my spelling of some of the servant's names has been a bit inconsistent. For one, I honestly had no idea what Maylene's name could be, and the only spelling that I could think of was for a Chinese name that sounds pretty similar and that was Mei Lin (which is why I spelled it that way, even though it doesn't make much sense). But now I'm going to spell her name as Maylene since that's an actual English spelling of her name. _

_Also, thank you for the reviews everyone, hope your holidays were wonderful. There is very little left to this story (though I can't give a good chapter estimate because I thought this would wrap up about 6 chapters ago), and I'm grateful to everyone who's read it through so far. ^_^ _

_Persona is a Latin word that can refer to a mask (as in the persona that one dons on stage), or as the quality of a person's character. I am using both meanings for this chapter title._

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**Chapter 12: Persona**

Maylene awoke to the sound of Sebastian knocking lightly upon her door to wake her up. The sunlight filtered in through the blinds of her room, and she fumbled for her glasses on the bedside table. It was just barely after sunrise, a bit earlier than she was accustomed to waking, and she groggily pulled herself out of bed. When Sebastian's knocking persisted, she snapped awake, realizing that he wanted to actually speak with her and not just wake her up. Hurriedly straightening her sleeping gown, she rushed to the door and opened it cautiously, absentmindedly pulling at her hair to make it a little more presentable. Sebastian stood in the doorway, looking as perfect as he always did and wearing that familiar smile that made her knees weak.

"Y-yes, mister Sebastian?"

Sebastian gave her a small nod of his head and spoke.

"I'm sorry to have to wake you up a bit earlier this morning..."

"Oh, oh no! It's no-no problem at all!" Maylene hurriedly shook her head, hiding her blushing face behind her hands as best she could. Sebastian was such a gentleman! And she looked so... if anything she should be apologizing for looking so unpresentable!

"...but I need you to tend to Lady Elizabeth this morning."

Maylene's blush quickly faded and she lowered her hands slightly. "Eh?"

"Well obviously, no one was expecting to stay the evening in this house, and Lady Elizabeth does not have her handmaiden present. Therefore, you will have to fill that role this morning."

Maylene's eyes widened behind her lenses.

"B-but, I've never..."

"There isn't too much expected of you. There is already a change of clothes laid out in the room. You would just have to help her change and tend to her injuries." As he spoke, he handed her the small box he was holding in his hands.

"Injuries?"

"Nothing major. Just a few scratches. You've had some experience in tending injuries, I'm sure."

Maylene grasped the medicinal box tightly in her hands. She had mostly dealt with bullet wounds, but it was true she had the basic idea. Slowly, hesitantly, she nodded her head in assent.

"I'm sure you'll be a splendid handmaiden." Sebastian gave her his most charming smile, and then turned to leave. Maylene felt steam rising out of her ears at that smile. He really was just too handsome.

Before turning the corner, Sebastian stopped and turned back around.

"Oh yes, Lady Elizabeth's room is the second guest room on the first floor of the East Wing. And I will take care of your usual duties. Today your only responsibility is to the Lady."

Maylene stood in silence for a bit after Sebastian left, looking down at the box she held. She was relieved to hear that the Lady had been safely retrieved, but the fact that she had injuries was most troublesome. Just what had she experienced? Maylene then quickly withdrew into her room to change, not wanting to dawdle. She would do her best to be of some comfort to the Lady, who hopefully didn't have to go through anything a young woman shouldn't have to.

She walked quickly down the hallways to the East Wing, reaching Elizabeth's room fairly quickly. But she hesitated slightly before she knocked gently on the door.

"Who is it?" Lady Elizabeth's voice was so soft behind the door it was barely audible.

"It-It's Maylene, my lady. I'm here to tend to you this morning."

There was silence, and Maylene briefly began to panic, wondering if she had been too inappropriate. Perhaps the lady didn't want such a clumsy maid as herself to take care of her? It would only be understandable. But after a while, the small, timid voice came again from behind the door.

"Come in."

Maylene gently opened the door, finding Lady Elizabeth sitting upright in her bed, her pillows situated against the headboard of the bed so that she could lean back against them comfortably. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap above the sheets, and she greeted the entering maid with a soft smile. With her soft face gently illuminated by the sunlight drifting in through her open windows, Maylene saw the small cut on her lip and the slight discoloration of a bruise on her cheek. She quickly rushed over to the bedside, gently opening the box and taking out its contents.

Maylene was, of course, highly curious as to what happened last night, but she dared not ask or speak out of turn. The Lady, who was normally so bright and full of life, seemed so distraught, Maylene was unsure of what to say. She was so terribly afraid of saying the wrong thing. She dabbed a small amount of rubbing alcohol onto a small cloth, and held it up to Elizabeth's face.

"This will sting a bit, my lady." Elizabeth nodded softly, and Maylene applied the cloth to her lip as gently as possible. Wiping at her lip and chin gently, Maylene wiped away the dried blood on her face. She thought of how ironic it was that she was sitting there, taking such care of a beautiful young noblewoman. Her hands were so accustomed to holding firearms and hurting people, she was unaccustomed to seeing them do anything more than cause pain and trouble.

She couldn't help but feel a swell of gratitude in her heart to the master. If he had never taken her in, she didn't think she could ever imagine herself doing some of the things she did now. She was unbelievably proud to be a servant to his household. She found herself incredibly fortunate to be living her current life. A small, fond smile found its way to Maylene's lips and Elizabeth took notice.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked gently.

Flustered by the sudden question, Maylene quickly shook her head.

"It's no-nothing, my lady!" She quickly took hold of Elizabeth's left hand, gently dabbing at the small scratches that marred her porcelain skin there. She bowed her head deeply, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

Elizabeth smiled gently, and placed her other hand reassuringly on Maylene's. She had always liked Maylene and the other servants who worked in Ciel's household. Unlike Sebastian, they weren't difficult to read. And it was obvious to everyone at first glance how much they treasured their master. The three of them were especially friendly with each other, and it was their presence that made Ciel's lonely manor feel like a home. Ciel no longer smiled, so they smiled for him. He brought no laughter so they laughed in his place to fill the silence. She had always been glad for them.

"Thank you, Maylene. I'm glad Ciel has people like you by his side."

Maylene blushed furiously at the Lady's words. They meant more to her than the young lady would ever know.

"Th-thank you, Lady Elizabeth. But the master is even more lucky to have you as his bride!" Maylene gave a wide grin, but Elizabeth's smile quickly fell from her face. Turning away, she fell silent, and Maylene wondered what she had said wrong.

When she had finished with Elizabeth's minor injuries, she helped Elizabeth out of the gown she was in, which had a few blood stains near the hem, and helped her into the gorgeous one Sebastian had laid out for her. It was a beautiful cerulean blue with white accents. It had belonged to Ciel's mother, the late Rachel Phantomhive. Maylene thought Elizabeth looked stunning in the dress, but Elizabeth merely looked at her reflection with what seemed like boredom.

"I think you look beautiful, Lady Elizabeth!" Maylene stood behind her with admiration. It had been her first time helping a lady get dressed, but she had managed to not botch it up!

Elizabeth fingered the soft fabric between her gloved fingers.

"Is this your dress, Maylene?"

"What? Oh, oh heavens no!" Maylene shook her head profusely, her glasses in danger of flying clear off her face. "I don't own such lovely gowns as a mere maid!" And before she had become a maid, she had never worn a dress either, she thought to herself. "That gown belonged to the master's late mother."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise, before being replaced with an expression Maylene could not name. Was it sadness? But she looked so wonderful!

Elizabeth turned toward the mirror again, analyzing her reflection. She could vaguely remember her aunt Rachel in her memory. She had been a wonderfully elegant woman. Everything she did was picture perfect, serene, and beautiful. When Elizabeth was making herself into a proper lady through her teenage years, she had taken the memory of Rachel Phantomhive as her role model. Such a lovely woman had been Ciel's mother, and he deserved no less of a woman for his wife, she had thought. But standing in front of that mirror, wearing her gown, Elizabeth couldn't help but think she had failed utterly. She was nothing like Ciel's mother. The previous Earl had chosen her, and wisely he did so. Elizabeth had not been chosen by Ciel, but given to him. In fact, the one Ciel actually chose was...

"You look dazzling, my lady." Maylene shot her the warmest smile she could, before stepping aside and gesturing to the door. "Your parents are anxious to see you. They were positively inconsolable last night." As Maylene moved towards the door, Elizabeth grabbed her hand for comfort.

Looking down at the dainty gloved hand grasping her own, Maylene looked up to find small tears forming in Elizabeth's eyes.

"Maylene, I can't. I can't go out there."

Maylene found her mind swimming. She had absolutely no idea how to handle this type of situation. Instinctively she brought her other hand to grasp Elizabeth's hand firmly, and walked her over to the plush chair that was in the room. Sitting her down gently, she kneeled at the Lady's feet, never letting go of her hands.

"My lady, what's wrong?"

Tears began to fall freely down Elizabeth's face. Maylene hurriedly reached into her apron to offer her a handkerchief. Elizabeth took it, but made no motions to wipe away her tears. Her body was racked with light sobs, and she could barely muster out her next words.

"Maylene, I... I'm a failure."

"Don't say such things, my lady! None of what happened last night is your fault at all!"

"No, no..." Elizabeth sniffled gently. "It's not that at all."

Maylene fell silent, allowing Elizabeth to speak at her own pace.

"It's just that I... I failed Ciel."

Maylene grasped Elizabeth's hand more tightly in her own. She was just a maid. She had no understanding of the social expectations and responsibilities that weighed on Elizabeth's shoulders. She had no idea what was expected of a lady, or what needed to be done to prepare to be the wife of a nobleman like her master. Before she had entered the Phantomhive household, she had barely understood what it was like to be a normal human being. She had taken life without mercy, and knew no family nor shame. But even though she had no comprehension of Elizbaeth's pain, she found that the words came to her easily. And for that, she was glad.

"My lady, I am certain that my master does not think such thoughts of you. You are a beautiful, respectable woman of class and intelligence. And I am sure that he cares for you very deeply."

_I can't bring you into the darkness with me_.

Ciel's words echoed in Elizabeth's ears.

Maylene gave the brightest smile she could. "And besides, my master isn't the type of man to make a lady cry."

_I don't want to put you in danger._

Elizabeth took deep breaths, trying to find the strength to calm herself down. Softly she whispered,

"I'm nothing like her..."

"Like who, my lady?"

"Ciel's mother." Elizabeth clutched at the fabric of her dress, almost resenting the feel of it on her skin. It didn't belong on her. It felt wrong, almost.

"I don't think the master expects or even wants you to be like her at all. To me, it has always seemed as though he cared for you as who you are."

Elizabeth looked into Maylene's face, feeling tremendous affection for the maid.

"You are not Rachel Phantomhive. You are Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Middleford. I think you should be the lady you always have been, and the master will continue to care for you regardless."

Elizabeth glanced into the mirror across the room, seeing her reflection a bit differently than before. She supposed Maylene was right. She was not Rachel Phantomhive, and it had been a mistake to ever to have tried to be her. She was not a Phantomhive, and she would never be a Phantomhive. But underneath that mask she had tried to fit onto herself there existed another woman. And she came from a proud legacy. Her father was a royal lead knight, and her mother was a noble lady who bested even her father in strength. Her brother Edward was as fierce as their parents and was currently serving proudly in the Queen's royal guard. Suddenly she found herself wanting to cast off the role she had wanted for so long and reclaim the legacy that had been hers to begin with.

So Ciel would not take her as his wife. But he was still her cousin, and she still loved him. At the very least, she could support him with her own status.

"Maylene." Her voice held a strength she didn't know she had. Maylene snapped to attention, moved by the firmness in Elizabeth's voice. Elizabeth looked into Maylene's face and smiled sweetly. Her tears were gone.

"Thank you." She stood up, and Maylene picked herself up off the floor to stand beside her. Striding elegantly towards the door, she felt herself shedding years of her training. She was different than she was yesterday. She was no longer ignorant, and she felt one burden being replaced by another. But the new load felt comfortable somehow. With Maylene following dutifully behind her, she walked steadily towards the grand dining hall where the others were waiting for her arrival. Maylene stepped ahead to open the doors for her, and Elizabeth entered gracefully, greeted by the warm smiles of her parents and a relieved expression on Ciel's face.

Her father immediately rushed to her, holding her tightly in a firm embrace.

"Lizzie! My Lizzie, we're so glad you're all right!" When he finally let go of her, Elizabeth was under the impression she could breathe again before she was quickly embraced again by her mother, who was trying her best not to cry torrents of relief.

The happy reunion brought relief to Ciel, who watched the display of affection from his chair, Sebastian standing dutifully beside him. He could honestly say he was happy for them. He stood from his chair, breaking their moment, and strode carefully forward. Standing at a closer distance but still out of arms reach, Ciel stood in front of Elizabeth and her family, giving her the warmest smile he knew how to give.

"I'm glad you're safe." His eyes looked into hers carefully, trying to convey more than he could speak. She saw his expression, heard the carefully controlled tone of his voice, and understood it all.

"As expected of my future son and his remarkable butler!" The Marquis rushed forward to grasp Ciel in a tight embrace as well, knocking him quite off balance and very much by surprise. "I feel nothing but absolute confidence leaving Lizzie in your care!"

Ciel cleared his throat awkwardly. He wanted to correct his uncle-in-law, but felt that it wasn't quite the appropriate time or place. The kidnapping from the night before complicated things a bit, and he wasn't at all sure how to reveal the cancellation of their engagement now. But even as those thoughts plagued him, Elizabeth spoke up from behind them.

"Actually father, we-I have something I need to speak with you about."

The Marquis released his death grip on Ciel and turned to face his beloved daughter.

"Oh? What is it sweetheart?"

As her parents looked at her expectantly, Elizabeth turned her gaze upon Ciel, who looked at her with caution. He was very certain that now was a terrible time to tell them.

Looking into her parent's eyes, Elizabeth was reminded of how much she loved them, and how much they loved her. She had come from a loving family who had cared for her tremendously as she was growing up, and she had Ciel's affection as well. She knew that the news would disappoint them, perhaps even shame them, but she knew it had to be done. Taking a deep breath, she spoke as firmly as she could.

"We're not getting married."


	13. Familia

**A/N:** _Ahh the drama~! Why is there so much drama in this fanfic? Oh wait... that's right... I put it there. _._

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**Chapter 13: Familia**

For a moment, there was nothing but horrified silence. Ciel felt his heart pounding in his ears, and he found himself keeping a careful eye on the Marchioness... and her proximity to the display swords on the southern wall of the room. Couldn't Elizabeth have picked a room without any visible weaponry to tell them the news? He waited with baited breath, preparing to dodge any blows if necessary.

The tension was finally broken by a nervous laugh from the Marquis.

"Lizzie... sweetheart, what are you talking about?" His tone was cautious, unbelieving. Ciel saw the Marchioness's eyes narrowing in disapproval. She was clearly not about to listen to anything they had to say.

"Father, we-"

"That's enough." The Marchioness interrupted, striding forward with her hands clenched.

"I won't indulge such nonsense, Elizabeth. Of course you're getting married." She looked back and forth between her daughter and Ciel. "What's gotten into your head, you silly girl?"

Elizabeth turned to Ciel, a silent request for some support. Ciel sighed mentally. Now that Elizabeth had taken the initiative, he couldn't very well leave her alone to handle her parents' wrath. Ciel stepped forward, still careful to keep his distance from her mother and spoke up at last.

"It's true, Aunt Frances. We've decided to cancel the engagement." He braced himself for the barrage of hatred that would be flung his direction. But it was not the Marchioness who spoke next.

"We?" Lizzie's father repeated. "I don't believe that. Lizzie's wanted to marry you ever since the two of you were old enough to speak!" He wheeled on Ciel, his tone rising. "This is your decision, and yours alone. You're saying that my darling Elizabeth isn't good enough for you!"

"Sir, that is not what I-"

"Or maybe you've gone and spawned some illegitimate children, and now you're trying to cover up for their sake, is that it?" The Marquis was furious, and he was slowly advancing on Ciel, who stood his ground as firmly as he could. The insult was outrageous! With the exception of his wife and her royal Majesty, his daughter was the finest lady in England, and he would not stand to have her name besmirched, even by his own nephew!

"Father!" Elizabeth called out, trying to calm his fury. "You can't possibly think-"

"I don't know what to think, Elizabeth!" In his frustration, he turned to scream at his daughter, unsure of who to blame. How was he to expect any of this foolishness? Last night, he had been a miserable wreck, unsure of whether or not his daughter was even alive, and now this?

"What am I supposed to think, after all of this? How am I to believe that you, my daughter, would bring such shame upon this house? Why is it now that my own nephew insults my name, my household-"

"But father-"

"That's enough!" The room fell silent, and all eyes fell on the Marchioness. Her eyes were fixated on the floor, her breathing calm and even.

Slowly she raised her head, and locked eyes with her husband. "I understand your anger, Alex, but you must never forget to behave like a gentleman. How dare you raise your voice when you are a guest in another man's home?" The Marquis fell silent, his shoulders dropping. He was never a match for his wife. She had bested him long ago. Turning her eyes then to Ciel, she gazed at him with a carefully neutral expression.

"I know why you are doing this, Ciel." Her tone was even, though her brows were furrowed. Ciel could not read the expression on her face.

"Aunt Frances, I-"

"I admit, I myself had my doubts about this engagment for many years now." All eyes in the room were hit with shock. "Ever since my brother died, and ever since you came back eight years ago."

She pursed her lips. "I saw how scarred you were both inside and out, and I knew what you had seen. I knew you then understood the legacy my brother had bequeathed to you."

Ciel looked at his aunt in utter astonishment. Out of everyone, he had been most wary of her reaction, but this was not at all what he had anticipated.

"I was a Phantomhive once. I know the burden of that name. And if you, my nephew, as Vincent's son, truly believe that it is a burden you cannot share with Elizabeth, then I understand."

"Aunt Frances..."

She gripped her hands tightly, and averted her eyes to the floor, her voice breaking as she spoke her next words.

"I was devastated when my brother was killed. Perhaps people did not understand the depth of my sadness, but I assure you no one grieved more for him than I did."

"Mother..." Elizabeth quickly went to her mother's side, laying her hands gently over hers.

The Marchioness raised her head to face her daughter, tears evident in her eyes, though none dared to fall. She looked at her daughter affectionately, and placed a gentle hand on her cheek.

"I don't want to put Elizabeth in danger any more than you do. And after last night, I don't think I could bear it if something were to happen to her."

Elizabeth was touched by her mother's gentle words. Never in all her life had she seen her mother with tears in her eyes. She had always been such a strong, proud woman. She had always felt loved, yes, but always from a distance. Her mother was never an affectionate person, and it moved her to know how much she truly cared for her own safety. It was why the Marchioness had never instructed her in fencing or hunting. Although she herself was a woman of athleticism and power, she never passed it to her daughter, and this was precisely why.

"All of us stand at the forefront of British society. We the nobility have our reputations and names to maintain. In addition, we bear the responsibility of being an example of law and civility to the masses. Canceling this engagement slanders both of our families' crests."

The Marchioness stood tall, proud, and strong. She grasped her daughter's hand firmly in her own and looked at Ciel with unwavering eyes.

"But so be it. I'd rather face that disgrace than place my daughter in danger by marrying her to the Queen's watchdog."

The Marquis's eyes opened wide, and he looked at Ciel with horror and shock in his expression. He had never known that the infamous underground of evil noblemen was run by the crest belonging to the Phantomhive name. His wife had never mentioned it. Had he known, he would never have agreed to the engagement in the first place.

"Frances, why didn't you tell me this when we were arranging their betrothals?" His tone was a mixture of hurt and anger. He didn't think that there were secrets kept between himself and his wife, and he was both pained and enraged to know that she kept something that important from him. "Had I known, I would never-"

"At that time, I didn't think it was important." The Marchioness refused to look her husband in the eye.

"How could you not think that was important?"

"My father passed away peacefully in his sleep. I never dreamed that such terrible things would happen to Vincent." She shot her husband an angry look. "And then what would you have me do? Cancel their engagement as soon as Ciel returned to us?"

The Marquis bit his tongue.

"It's all right, Aunt Frances." Ciel interjected. "There wasn't a single time that would have been appropriate to do such a thing. Even now, it is an inappropriate time, but it has to be done at some point." He turned his head to the Marquis. "Sir, I accept all responsibility and shame for this disgrace."

Ciel turned away from all of them, pacing towards the window and gazing out upon the grounds. Sebastian watched him carefully. It was amusing to him to hear Ciel talk about dishonor and shame. The Earl Phantomhive stood as the proudest figure in that room, the one that deserved all of his attention and respect, but his words defied all logic. The customs and traditions of the English nobility were rather silly, Sebastian thought. How backwards. If only they all knew what weight Ciel carried upon his shoulders and how honorable he truly was. Honorable yet tainted. Sebastian resisted every urge to lick his lips.

"Please, return home." Ciel didn't turn around to speak to them. He spoke to the air, for they all knew whom he was addressing. "Return home and rest for the time being. We can sort out the ugly details about announcing this to the public at a later time. For now..."

Ciel fingered the ring on his finger. "For now, please cherish that you have each other."

Elizabeth pined for Ciel's loneliess, for she knew he had to be lonely. She wanted to reach out for him, but for some reason, he seemed utterly out of reach. The image of his back was so intimidating, she couldn't bring herself to call out to him. It was as if he was meant to be a lone pillar. A slight movement in the corner of her vision made Elizabeth mentally correct herself. No, not alone. Ciel would never be alone as long as Sebastian was around. Elizabeth eyed Sebastian then, finding herself wanting to speak with him. But she felt her mother's grip on her arm tighten.

"Ciel, this isn't over." The Marchioness spoke.

"For today it is, Aunt Frances."

Sebastian took the cue from Ciel's words and moved himself to stand in between Ciel and his guests. Bowing deeply, Sebastian offered them a polite smile, then gestured with his hand toward the door. It was a silent demand for their exit, and for a moment, none of them moved. But finally, the Marquis turned swiftly on his heel and walked out of the room, with the Marchioness following quickly behind, pulling Elizabeth along by the arm.

Sebastian accompanied them out of the mansion, leaving Ciel alone in the room to his thoughts. Standing alone in front of the window, a small smirk found its way to Ciel's lips. The game had ended, and he had once again risen as the victor. Spring-Heeled Jack had been silenced, his troublesome engagement had finally been broken off, and Elizabeth had been recovered safe and sound. All of the pieces had fallen into his favor, and Ciel remained the standing king of the chessboard. On top of that...

Ciel watched from his window as Elizabeth and her family entered their carriage. He saw that Elizabeth pulled Sebastian aside to whisper something to him before getting into the carriage herself. No doubt she wanted to talk to him again, but Ciel was tired of such things. He was tired of the formality and the traditions of his world. Of course he would gladly take the blame for their failed engagement. If that meant he could avoid the public sector for a little while, that was fine with Ciel. As proud as he was of his legacy, he had absolutely no desire to pass it onward. The Phantomhive name would fall with him when the time came. He had given up trying to put on airs for the prying eyes of the public. It was exhausting, and Ciel was already too tired from too many other things.

As his thoughts overwhelmed him, he felt a dark presence approach from behind him. Sebastian was smirking, he could feel it.

"My lord, everything has turned out as you wished."

"What did Elizabeth say to you?"

Sebastian smiled his knowing, hungry smile. "She requested an audience with me."

"When should we schedule to meet with her?"

"No no, my lord. She requested an audience with me alone."

Ciel turned and eyed Sebastian warily, but Sebastian only grinned, replying,

"Do not be afraid, my lord. I'll be on my best behavior."

Ciel had to be satisfied with that, he supposed. Turning around again, Ciel spoke.

"Sebastian."

"My lord?"

"Take me to where you killed Spring-Heeled Jack."

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_**A/N: **I admit it, I'm drawing this out a little longer than I should. I'm also sorry this chapter isn't that substantive. It's mostly dialogue I realize. _


	14. Cura

**A/N:** _Wow, it has been so long since I last updated. I'm sorry, this semester has been really busy for me at school, on top of which, I've been working on a Will/Grell doujinshi with a friend. We're doing our best to finish it around the time that the new Shinigami OVA comes out. _

_This chapter is a lot of wrapping up loose ends, and because I don't know if I can update again for a while, I'm going to tentatively call this the last chapter. I may update with an epilogue of some sort at some point, but for now, I'm calling this an end. Thank you for reading this fanfiction and for all of your support and comments. ^_^_

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**Chapter 14: Cura**

Snake watched Ciel and Sebastian leave the grounds with a slight frown on his face. He had hoped that he hadn't done something to disappoint them as a footman that they would leave without him. It was his duty, after all, to follow the master wherever he left his home, being as constant of a presence as the head butler, at least when the lord was out of his home. But both the Earl and Sebastian had requested privacy and said that it would be a short trip, so he had been left behind. And he couldn't help but worry. Especially after the events of last night and everything that had happened, Snake found himself very much concerned for his master's well being. But he supposed he could relax, he had mister Sebastian with him after all. He thought that he would go to the greenhouse then, and attend to his dear snakes until his master returned. He could feel somehow that they were lonely.

When he reached the greenhouse, several snakes came slithering up to his feet, their hisses of delight bringing a soothing calm to Snake's emotional state. Oscar slid up his leg and coiled himself around Snake's shoulders, which was his usual perch and tickled Snake's cheek with his forked tongue. The others were content to slither around his feet, and he slowly slid to the floor, sitting next to his serpentine companions. No matter how close he would become to the servants of the manor, he would always consider his snakes his first family. They gave him a sort of calm that the other members of the household couldn't provide.

The snakes flicked their tongues out at his hands, sensing that he was slightly troubled. To answer them, he smiled and mumbled at them.

"Smile, I mean, Ciel left the mansion today without me. I'm the footman, I'm supposed to follow him wherever he goes, but they left without me today, and Mister Sebastian didn't say a word. I think I might have done something wrong."

The snakes coiled around his arms and waist, squeezing gently in reassurance. Snake smiled down at them, happy for the comfort they offered. He was glad that the others in the Phantomhive manor had warmed up to them all right. Finnian especially had been the first to get completely used to them, he was a rather sweet boy. Baldroy had been the most hesitant about them, but even he eventually got used to them. He was courteous enough to make sure they were never in the kitchen when he felt like "cooking," a gesture which Snake appreciated greatly. He would be quite devastated to come home and find that Baldroy serving charred snake to Smile for dinner. He petted Oscar along his scaly back, and petted some of his other companions.

"I know, I'm probably just overthinking it. I'm sure the young lord is fine so long as Sebastian is beside him."

When Ciel and Sebastian arrived on the scene, they found the area swarming with a crowd, a perimeter had been set, and a smell of death lingered in the air. The Yard had blocked off all civilians from getting too close to the crime scene. Ciel pushed past the crowds with Sebastian following close behind and approached Officer Aberline, who was busy at work trying to shoo people away from the area. When he saw Ciel, he gave him a concerned look, obviously not at all pleased by his presence on the scene. Ciel was almost a bad omen for the Yard, who dreaded to see the watchdog of the queen show up on the premises of any crime scene. If the Earl Phantomhive was present, then it meant that whatever it was, it was out of their hands, despite whatever they wished to the contrary. Seeing Ciel approach, Aberline stepped aside, allowing him access to the gory mess in the alleyway.

"Lord Randall, please take your men and clear the premises." Ciel commanded, announcing his presence to the head of Scotland Yard without so much as a greeting.

"Phantomhive! You can't just expect me to-"

"I'm not expecting, I'm commanding."

The older man grunted in obvious disapproval and disdain for the young earl, but could do no more than voice his obvious disapproval. The young Earl had done quite a bit in his young years to clear her majesty's distress and had the queen's favor in his arsenal as a weapon. The Yard had no official authority over him. When the Earl said jump, Lord Randall was obliged to do nothing but tuck tail and ask how high. And as a man, the Earl had become even more insufferable than he was when he was a child.

"Cursed mongrel dog, showing up to prey on the scraps..."

"And what authority have you to besmear my crest, Lord Randall?"

Growling, the older man gestured to his men to clear the area. When he received nothing but puzzled looks, he shouted at them to not question his orders, and they rushed away to help Aberline with crowd control and redirection. Lord Randall shot one more disdained scowl in Ciel's direction before leaving the alleyway himself, leaving Ciel alone with Sebastian on the crime scene.

With the area cleared, Ciel began to walk slowly towards the rotting corpse in the alleyway, the familiar scent of blood filling his nostrils. The pitiful figure of the notorious Spring Heeled Jack lay crumpled in a heap on the floor, drenched in its own blood. The smell of decay was overwhelming, but Ciel had long grown accustomed to such gruesome sights and sensations. Not budging an inch despite the foul stench that swam in his nostrils, he began to question Sebastian. Technically, the case was already closed as far as they were concerned, but Ciel found himself needing some closure on the case. He had done basically nothing himself and it had happened at such a chaotic time in his life, he could not bring himself to believe that the case was over yet somehow.

"What was he?"

"Nothing but a lesser demon, an incubus with no thought other than to satiate his beastly desires."

"Did he have a name?"

"I have forgotten, it was not worth committing to memory."

"Why did he take Elizabeth?"

"He wanted her to produce his heir."

That was a rather stark answer. Ciel hadn't quite been expecting such a vulgar motivation behind the demon's attacks, but he supposed that would explain why the demon had only attacked women. Had Sebastian been just a little too late, that could have been an unbelievably disastrous incident for Elizabeth. He was glad that he had gotten to her in time.

"What of the other women he attacked?"

"Apparently he did not consider them worth carrying his spawn, which means that he had far more victims than was reported to the police."

"Was the fight difficult?"

"It was nothing I couldn't handle."

"Then how exactly did Elizabeth get in the way?"

Ciel turned to face Sebastian then, eyeing him carefully. He knew that the demon had not told the entire story last night. The demon may be bound by contract to never lie, but that didn't mean that he couldn't find loopholes. So long as he didnt lie, he could avod telling him exactly what had happened. Ciel was no idiot, nor was he forgetful. He had told Sebastian he would be further reprimanded for his actions towards Elizabeth.

"My lord?"

"You said that she was a hindrance, so you struck her. But seeing the condition that you returned in, and the condition of this corpse before us, I don't see how he could have posed any threat to you. I don't think Elizabeth could have been directly involved in the fight at any point. This means that you struck her either before or after your battle. I'm guessing after, and I'm asking why."

Sebastian supposed there was no helping it. Ciel was already in a foul mood, despite the engagement having been cancelled according to plan without much incident. It was time to be wholly and completely honest, regardless of how upset Ciel might become. He had honestly thought that that particular matter had been finished, but unfortunately, the young lady remained lingering in his master's thoughts.

"She pleaded for me to spare him."

The answer was plain and simple, but that was not the end of it. Ciel raised his eyebrow at him, silently demanding further explanation.

"Despite the trouble I went through to rescue her, to fight this lowly creature on behalf of her safety, she begged me to stop. Even when I explained what he was, what he would have done to her, she begged me to stay my hand. It was irksome and unsightly, so I slapped her into unconsciousness. That way, the lady would not have to watch me kill the poor creature."

Ciel listened to his explanation in silence, taking care not to interrupt until he had finished everything he had to say. Yet the answer had been somewhat satisfactory. Sebastian truly had no business lashing out at Elizabeth like that. As the perfect butler he was commanded to be, he should have never laid his hand on her. But would Ciel have done the same? He remembered when they were children, there was a moment where he had almost lost control, and had Sebastian not been there, he too would have struck Elizabeth for her foolishness. She had been a child then, and she had broken his family heirloom. Although she was no longer a child now, she was still an innocent. If she could beg for Sebastian to have mercy in his deeds, she would request the same of Ciel. He couldn't help but agree with Sebastian. Mercy was unsightly. He felt truly secure in his decision now. There was no one who could properly maintain this life with him as a wife. He berated Sebastian no longer, and he knew that Sebastian knew why. Saying nothing more, he turned away from Spring Heeled Jack at last.

"Burn him."

As Sebastian sparked a flame, and Ciel felt the familar scent of burning flesh reach his nostrils, he walked away from the corpse, out of the alleyway. Striding forward with long, confident steps,

"This case is over."

Kneeling at Ciel's feet, his right hand placed over his chest, he grinned and answered, as per usual,

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

Sebastian placed a cup of lightly steaming Earl Grey Tea on the coffee table in front of Elizabeth. The usual company of Ciel was missing, as he was working in his office, promising not to disturb the two of them as they met. Before the meeting, however, he had made Sebastian swear to an entire list of do's and don'ts. He was not to lay a hand on Elizabeth, whether violent or no, he was to maintain the polite distance of an English gentleman. He was also not to speak rudely to her, he was to address her properly, as a lady, and as his superior in social standing. No matter what they talked about, he was not to divulge the sexual nature of their relationship. And so many other rules had been made that Sebastian had to stop and think about what in the world he was actually allowed to do during this meeting. Honestly, sometimes, his master had so little faith in him.

Sitting down across the table from Elizabeth, not pouring himself a cup of tea as well, he offered Elizabeth a polite smile. He had to admit it was a slightly different feeling to be actually part of the conversation and not a vulture overhanging it like when he was just a butler. She wanted to speak almost like equals, but he had to remember that he was still a butler to the core, lest he overstep his human boundaries. Placing his gloved hands in his lap, he finally broke the silence.

"Now, what was it you wished to speak to me about, my lady?"

Elizabeth carefully fingered the china in her hands. Looking down into her tea, she saw her reflection in them, and she found she had trouble starting what she wanted to say. Even though she had been the one to request this meeting, she found herself still waiting for Sebastian's lead. But that wouldn't do. She had resolved to be a stronger, better woman than before. So gripping the tea cup a little tightly, she spoke.

"All this time, you've been a demon."

It wasn't so much of a question as it was a statement, and it was one that sounded absurd to her even as it left her lips. How could she believe that such things existed in this world? And yet, she had seen it with her own eyes, she couldn't just deny the facts and hope that they would fade into oblivion.

"Yes, my lady."

"You and Ciel have a... a contract."

"Yes, my lady."

"What are the terms of that contract?"

Honestly, Sebastian couldn't see how any of that mattered. The contract had been made, it was binding. The only way to end it was to carry it through. Regardless of whether or not she knew the terms, the contract could not be changed. But he decided to indulge her.

"My lord summoned me to save him when he was on the verge of death. I am to serve him as his protector and his servant until the day he completes his revenge for the murder of his family. When his revenge is complete, I am to claim his soul."

Elizabeth should have expected nothing less. Demons weren't known for their generosity. It was perhaps only natural that he would eventually claim Ciel's soul. Still, she grimaced to think of an eternity of pain and suffering for Ciel. Or if not even that, an eternity of nothingness. She didn't really care to know which one of the two it was. All she knew was that Ciel would never know peace, never know happiness. The thought saddened her, but she could think of so little she could do.

"You've been helping him all these years with his work, haven't you? The reason the Funtom company has been doing so well, the reason the queen showers so many favors onto him, the reason why nothing tragically horrible has happened to him in these years despite what happened to his parents... they've all been your doing, haven't they?"

"I am but a pawn on my master's grand chessboard. He moves me where he wills, and I can only carry out the commands that are issued to me. Some of those deeds were done on my counsel, yes, but the final decision has always been my master's."

"You speak so highly of him, even though to you he's nothing more than food."

Elizabeth almost spat out those words, tired of Sebastian's rhetoric. He knew his way around coy and soothing words that knew only how to deceive. Every word of praise he spoke of Ciel was not said in affection, she felt. Demons couldn't possibly feel such things. He had taken Ciel from her long before she had been given a chance to be there for him. And he cherished Ciel only in the way one cherished their next meal after a long fast. Lowly demon, he deserved nothing of Ciel.

"He is more than that to me."

"I don't want to know."

"It's just as well. I was forbidden to divulge such information anyhow."

An uncomfortable silence overtook them. Trying to calm herself down from her near outburst, Elizabeth tried to calmly remember why she had called for this meeting in the first place. What was it that she was hoping to get out of this conversation? What resolutions could they reach, if any? She wanted to keep herself a part of Ciel's world. Whether her parents approved or not, she wanted to become more experienced in the world. She had only seem glimpses of its darkness and that wasn't sufficient to provide Ciel the support she wanted to give him. But she wondered how practical it was to ask to be a part of the underground. One didn't simply just waltz in and expect to fit in with everyone else with no suspicions. Joining that world would also place her family in danger, her current one and the one she would surely have in the future. She knew her mother must be at work arranging a new marriage for her as she sat there. She would be given to another nobleman, one with wealth and prestige and honor. Could he be made to be a part of this as well? She didn't know. She was not like...

"Was Aunt Angelina..."

"Yes, she was."

"Is that why she was killed?"

"In a sense. But she was killed because she stepped out of line. She was hunted not by the scum of the underground, but by us."

"Were you the one who killed her?"

"I was not."

She didn't want to ask if it was Ciel who pulled the trigger. But if he had been the one to end Madam's life, then it spoke volumes about what lengths he was willing to go to in order to do his duty to the queen. Even the bonds of family would mean nothing in the face of Her Majesty's command. And Madam had been like a surrogate mother to Ciel. Elizabeth had never been so close to Ciel as Madam had been. Would he kill her as well, if she got in his way?

"Is there nothing I can do?"

The question was more to herself than it was addressed to Sebastian. He knew this, but he felt the need to answer her question anyway. He knew how much she cared for Ciel and how much of a hindrance that was to their plans. The best way for her to help would have been to stay out of their way. Unfortunately, he was bound to speak to her properly. He was also unsure of what Ciel's reponse would be. He had allowed his aunt to get involved without hesitation, would the same gesture be extended to this woman?

"I think it would be best for you to speak with the young lord about this matter. I cannot speak on his behalf, especially not on this matter."

Elizabeth nodded her head, knowing that he was right. It aggravated her that she had been born this way. She couldn't do anything without waiting for someone's approval. Whether it was her family's approval or Ciel's, she was powerless to act on her own. If only her parents had raised her the way they had raised her brother Edward. But if they had a son to pass on their knights legacy on to, there as no need to involve their daughter as well. It would only be inappropriate. That and she could feel that she couldn't be strong enough. She could only depend on others, she could only depend on Sebastian to keep Ciel safe until...

"Do you care for him?"

Sebastian eyed her carefully. He didn't think she had it in her but she had actually managed to stump him with her rather forward question. Did he care for Ciel? There was no way to know for sure. He had to admit that Ciel was different from all of his previous contractors, and that he had taken to Ciel more fondly. But it wasn't the first time he had been sexually involved with his masters. It wasn't the first time he had served as confidant and bodyguard. It certainly wasn't the first time he had been an adoring servant. He did have to admit that there was something unique about Ciel. But did he care for Ciel in the way that Elizabeth, in the way that humans cared about each other? Oh absolutely not. He had seen the depths of human affection, and he knew it could not be applied. He did not selflessly care for Ciel, he did not care about Ciel's happiness. Of course, that wasn't to say that he wasn't capable of such emotions. He had seen demons who could actually love, and he felt no desire to join their pitiable ranks. But as a demon, he cared for Ciel in the way that a demon knew how. He would keep him safe, he would fulfill Ciel's every wish as he desired, he would carry out the terms of their contract, and until he could devour Ciel's soul, he would savor him in every way he knew how.

"Yes."

It wasn't a lie. Sebastian never lied. It was just that Elizabeth couldn't hear his definition of caring. And he couldn't help her misinterpretation, which would surely assume that Sebastian cared for Ciel the way she cared for Ciel. So it went, as she relaxed, happy to hear his answer without knowing what it truly meant. She stood up then, resolving to go talk to Ciel about their future. She didn't know what she could do to help, but there was no harm in asking. As Sebastian led her up the stairs, she pulled out a small handkerchief within which she had placed her engagement ring. She was glad to have found the strength to remove it. She stopped Sebastian as they were reaching the door of Ciel's office, and handed him the handkerchief.

"Please give this to him for me afterwards, seeing as how we're no longer..."

"Understood, my lady."


	15. Epilogue

**A/N:** _Yeah I know the last chapter sucked, so I had to write an epilogue to wrap things a little more... neatly, I suppose. _

_This epilogue takes place two years after the events of the chapters preceding it. _

_Obviously, we now know that Lizzie is actually BAMF like nobody's business and that none of this was likely to happen, which kind of throws this entire fiction out the window, but I don't like to leave unfinished business. I will probably be writing another fic in the future that deals with Lizzie as we now know her: awesome beyond description. For all you Lizzie haters out there: If you don't like her, don't read this ff. Or read it and don't tell me how much you hate her w/o reason. I really dislike reading comments/reviews for this ff and having people badmouth Lizzie for no legitimate reason. I'm very fond of her character, there's a reason why she plays such a big role in my ff. To everyone else, thanks for reading!_

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Welcome, my lady." Snake smiled and gave a small bow as he held out his hand for Elizabeth to take, assisting her out of the carriage.

"Thank you, Snake." She smiled delicately and gently took the hand that was offerd to her, stepping gingerly onto the carriage steps, shifting her weight carefully and with some difficulty. She laid a hand instinctively on her stomach as her feet touched down onto the ground. Her handmaiden, who had already exited through the other carriage door was swiftly at her side, taking her hand gently and helping her to steady herself. Smiling appreciatively at the woman, Elizabeth gave a small nod to Snake, then made her way up the stairs to the entrance of the Phantomhive mansion. Snake gave her a bow as she left him, then proceeded to do his job as footman and led the horses to the stables.

Tanaka was there at the top of the stairs to greet Elizabeth, and gave a polite bow as he opened the doors for her. That dutiful steward, Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder sometimes if maybe it was impossible for him to breathe his last breath until the mansion was torn down for good. His aged presence seemed as constant to the mansion as the very grounds it stood on. He had already survived one burning of these walls after all. Entering the atrium, she felt an immediate sense of unease wash over her. She couldn't help it anymore. Ever since that day over a year ago she had always felt nothing but unease whenever she visited Ciel. Although she was happy to see him, and although it still warmed her heart to know that he was all right, she hated being in this house. She knew now that every inch of it was nothing but deceit, she knew why it had been rebuilt and how and by whom. Just as the thought crossed her mind, a coldness seeped into her bones as she caught sight of the tall man, clad in black smiling at the stairway of the entrance hall.

Sebastian smiled his knowing smile and gave a bow of greeting, holding a hand insincerely to his chest. The silver lapel gleamed from his coat jacket, indicating his rank as head butler of this house. He was ever the perfect butler, the dutiful servant, and a demon to the core. Elizabeth didn't nod to acknowledge his presence, she gave no smile. Paula offered a small curtsy to Sebastian but mostly maintained her steady presence beside her mistress.

"Welcome, Lady-ah, I always forget," Sebastian gave the slightest chuckle then corrected himself. "I mean, welcome, Duchess Grosvenor."

Elizabeth almost twitched at hearing Sebastian say her name. It always seemed as though he was mocking her when he pretended to forget her new title. She felt he was doing it on purpose, to remind her of what she had been, what she had lost. Had she been able to marry Ciel, perhaps she would have remained Lady Elizabeth to her dying days, and maybe she would have been happier with that outcome. But she had left those days behind, and carried herself with a new title now. She bore the burden of a new name, a new life, a second life now even. She laid her hand on her stomach again, and Sebastian's eyes flickered to the gesture.

"You're positively glowing, my lady." His voice was warm to all else who listened. To Elizabeth, it was dripping with amusement and defiance to his station. He smiled and offered his hand for her to take. "My master is waiting you in the drawing room in the west wing."

Elizabeth did not take his hand, but began to walk there with Paula following swiftly behind. Sebastian's smile faltered slightly at the rude gesture, but made no comment and began to lead her up the stairs then down the hall.

When they reached the drawing room, Elizabeth let go of Paula's hand to dismiss her. Paula was always quite hesitant to be unable to be with her mistress at all times, especially in her present condition. But she obliged, as she was required, and stood by the door, content to wait outside on stand by in case she was needed. Sebastian then opened the door and led Elizabeth inside, following her in, then closing the door firmly behind him.

Paula watched them enter with a sinking feeling. She used to love bringing the mistress by this mansion and see the young miss and the young master play together. But ever since the events of a year ago, her mistress had stopped confiding in her as she used to. She was secretive and smiled less often. After her engagement with Ciel had been broken off, she was positively despondent though she tried hard not to show it. When she had been married to the Duke Hugh Grosvenor, she had grown happier, though she never returned to being the cheerful woman she had been before. Still she would take these trips to master Ciel's home every so often and meet with him and a few other noblemen. Paula was never allowed in to the meetings, and her mistress never informed her of the content of these proceedings, so she had little recompense than to worry about them. She felt that nothing good came out of these meetings. They weren't all that frequent, but it seemd to her that after every one, her mistress grew darker, lonelier. But she had no choice but to stand by the Duchess' side as she had always done, for that was her duty as handmaiden. It was a duty she would serve willingly to her dying days.

Once inside, Elizabeth walked through the room towards Ciel, passing by a few noblemen situated in chairs around the pool table. She offered him her gloved hand, which he took with a small smile and laid his lips gently upon her fingers. She smiled at the gesture and gave a very small curtsy in response.

"Lord Phantomhive." She said his name in greeting, hating the formality of it.

"Duchess." Ciel repeated only her title in response, knowing that she didn't particularly like her new name. He eyed the hand that lay on her stomach and stood to offer her his seat. She smiled at the polite gesture and took the offer, and he helped her gently into his seat. Looking around at the denizens of the dimly lit room, Ciel paced forward to the pool table, laying his hands on the soft green felt. Sebastian immediately stepped forth to hand him a pool cue and place the triangular arrangement of balls onto the table, pefectly aligned, perfectly centered. Ciel leaned forward, placing one hand in front of him on the felt, the other steadying his cue and spoke.

"Gentlemen,"

He gave one clean stroke, striking the white ball against the others with admirable accuracy and precision. The balls scattered, clicking against each other softly as they spun every which way around the table. A lone, striped purple ball fell away from the others, rolling slowly towards the corner pocket, then sinked gently in as the others settled in their place. Ciel's team was stripes. He passed the cue to Lord Randall, knowing how the man's mighty principles would make him hate being on Ciel's team.

"We are gathered here to discuss the newest matter of Her Majesty's Distress."

Lord Randall took the cue from Ciel's hand reluctantly, shooting the man his ever-present glare. He hated having to deal with the Earl. As insufferable as he had been as a child, he was even more so now that he was an adult. And while he couldn't deny that the Queen's Watchdog was effective, it was a blemish to his pride as the head of Scotland Yard to be incapable of solving these cases himself. No, not incapable. The Queen trusted this brat and his name. She woudn't even give the Yard a chance. And that irked him more than failure. Aiming the cue ball at a solid yellow ball, he struck it sloppily with his cue and missed his target hole by several inches.

"Tsk."

In a moment the Chinese tradesman was at his side, clapping lightly at his missed mark. Taking the cue out of his hands, establishing himself as on the Earl's team, he gently scooted the grumpy old man out of the way as he strolled around the table, lazily trying to decide on which ball to aim for.

"Eh? What's the problem this time, Earl Phantomhive?"

A playful grin graced his features. Though it was meant to be lighthearted, it appeared as nothing but sinister in the dimly lit room. It certainly set Lord Randall on edge to be in the same room as him, and Elizabeth found herself fidgeting slightly as well. It was the smile of a trickster, as deceptive as the moon whose light is leeched from another source, who is fickle and changing and not to be trusted. Ciel had barely moved away from the table and was the closest to Lau and his jovial grin. Pacing slightly, he spoke again.

"The real problem is far too complicated for us to deal with." His voice was solemn, his eyes downcast. "The real problem is the poverty that grips a good portion of this city. It drives the desperate to thievery, murder, prostitution..." He paced around the table, his gloved hands grazing lightly against the felt. Lau nodded thoughtfully, as though these were problems he cared about. Mock concern graced his features as he decided on a ball to aim for. As Ciel continued to speak, he leaned down onto the felt to take a shot, and missed the striped ball he was aiming for, hitting nothing but felt as the cue ball skirted around the green, almost as if it were deliberately avoiding any of the balls.

"Still there are those who aim to take what little they have, thinking that the poor have so little to lose, it would surely go unnoticed."

The cue was passed to Mr. Aberline, who looked at the Earl with a sad expression in his eyes, clearly feeling every bit of sympathy for the unnamed victims in Ciel's words. Ever the hopeful optimist, he was working to make a better London, to protect every last person he could to the best of his ability. The man had a true sense of justice about him, and would only cooperate with Ciel based on that, not being as bitter or as cynical as Lord Randall. Ciel finally paused in his pacing.

"We have ourselves a sinister Jill the Ripper."

At the words, Aberline's cue slipped, lurching forward without any precision and jumping the cue ball up off of the table, colliding with a few colored balls before landing into a pocket itself. A scratch. Lord Randall gave him a disapproving look as the cue was taken from him, by the Undertaker, with his ever-present grin. Leaning in close to make Aberline uncomfortable with the invasion of personal space, he scooted the officer away from the table and reached into the pocket where the cue ball had fallen with his long claws. Pulling it out carefully, he turned the ball over in his hand slowly and spoke.

"Oh? But no guests have come my way, dear Earl."

Ciel shot him a tired look, then spoke again.

"She disposes of the bodies herself, only recently have any of them been found."

The undertaker tilted his head, his grin growing ever wider.

"Not even recently have any interesting guests come my way."

"Her victims are infants, most of them probably not more than two years of age and most of them are probably undiscovered."

Aberline let out a small gasp of disgust, and Ciel saw Elizabeth cringe slightly in his chair. The Undertaker's grin didn't falter, didn't move, he probably found the disgust of other people amusing. Death was all the same to him, whether the bodies were young women or infants, nobility or homeless. Once dead on his operating table, they were all of equal status. It made no difference who they were alive once their heart stopped beating. The Earl's information of who the victims were did not make the case significantly more interesting to the silver-haired man. But he at last relented that he had not seen hide nor hair of the most recent victims. Instead he leaned down low onto the table, his chin practically touching the felt as he aimed for a corner ball.

As he took his shot and landed a striped blue ball into one of the pockets. Letting out a small giggle, he passed the cue on without taking his second shot, handing it back to Aberline since he was the closest body. The man took the cue hesitantly, and gave the room a sweep with his eyes to see if anyone else cared to make a shot. When no one stepped forward, he held the cue tightly in his hands, clearly not in the mood to play a game while dealing with the case at hand. Turning to the Earl, he requested more information.

"How recently was this?"

Ciel waved a hand at Sebastian, seemingly tired of speaking, and his dutiful butler stepped out of the shadows into the light, speaking at them all with his honey-toned voice. Bowing slightly to his master as he passed by him idly, he gave them the details that had been passed to them by the queen.

"Last week, on March 30th, a package was recovered from the Thames river containing the body of a baby girl, who was later identified to be Helena Fry. The package was conspicuously spotted, as it had not been adequatey weighed down. On April 2nd, similar packages were found also in the Thames after a search, containing bodies, but these had been weighed down with bricks so that they would sink and not float. For some reason or another, our baby farmer was careless with the young Miss Fry and her body was easily discovered. From the address on the wrapping paper, a name and address could be discerned. Our culprit is a Mrs. Thomas currently residing in Berkshire, though it is suspected that Thomas must surely be an alias of sorts."

As Sebastian neared the end of his speech, Elizabeth's voice rang out from the far side of the room, her voice in shapr contrast to Sebastian's. The young Duchess had only one question on her lips.

"Baby farming?"

"Yes, Duchess." Sebastian proceeded to inform her then of the problem of baby farming. "Since fathers of illegitimate children are under no legal obligation to provide financial assistance, and because bringing up children in a single-parent household is highly stigmatized in today's society, many women who conceive illegitimate offspring will opt to give up their children to adoption or fostering agents in place of abortion. Such agents or agencies will often also agree to provide assistance to the mothers in the birthing process, caring for the women until they give birth to their child. For a single, up-front fee, a woman of an illegitimate child could receive care until she delivered her baby, and also have the baby cared for afterwards. Many women, although they give up their children and will not raise them on their own, they will still check in with the agency to see that their child is still being cared for. But fostering agencies are rarely honest, and many of them will purposefully neglect the children for financial gain. By allowing the child to die from neglect or malnutrition, the fostering agents could keep the money that they were supposed to use to take care of the chid, then chalk up the death to "lack of breast milk" or "debility from birth." Mothers who suspected evil-doings could rarely tell the authorities of their suspicions out of shame or fear. They are, after all, mostly illegitimate offspring."

When Sebastian had finished speaking, Elizabeth found herself cradling her stomach once again, needlessly fearful for the tiny life held inside of her. She couldn't help but think of how fortunate she was. With only a slight turn of fortune, she could have been like Madam Red, losing her child in an accident, or she could have been born into poverty, with no other option than to entrust her child to murderers. When the child was first conceived, she had thought she had done it out of duty. But as the months had passed, she had come to care for the life inside her. She supposed it was the inevitable condition of motherhood that she would come to love the child she thought she didn't want.

Still she had to admit that there was no real reason to be surprised at what she had just heard. Logic told her that her empathy was misplaced, that it would do no good to anyone. If she really wanted to be of help to such women, she needed to do her part in this case.

"Please, let me help."

Ciel looked at her warily. Truth be told, he hadn't wanted to involve her in this life, but she had insisted. Perhaps it was habit, but he had trouble standing his ground against Elizabeth. He had grown so accustomed to allowing her what she wanted. But he had allowed her to do little more than gather information with him .

"I can go undercover, go to Ms. Thomas and tell her that the child is-"

"No."

Ciel cut her off before she could finish her sentence, and she shot him a small glare.

"Absolutely unacceptable."

"Ciel-"

"Duke Grosvenor would have my head on a platter if I put you in such danger. So would the Marchioness, for that matter. The answer is absolutely and unequivocally no."

Not allowing Elizabeth another chance to argue, he began to speak again.

"Lau, may we enlist the help of one of your... sisters for this task?"

Lau let out a playful laugh and clapped the Earl on the shoulder.

"Earl, you're not planning on actually impregnating one of my-"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

The Undertaker giggled into his hand, and Aberline and Lord Randall fidged nervously at the crude humor. Elizabeth put down her head, disappointed that Ciel could not trust her enough to help out when it mattered most. But she supposed it wasn't really a trust issue in the end. He cared about her safety and well-being. It was only natural for him to veto her proposed course of action.

"She only needs to pretend for a little while in order to get information from Mrs. Thomas."

Ciel straightened his cravat as if it would help regain some order in the room, and Lau put up his hands in defeat.

"Yes, yes. Of course this can be done. Anything for the Earl."

Ciel then turned to Lord Randall.

"Lord Randall, I trust that you can keep the whole of Scotland Yard and the British police from mobilizing. If our famed Mrs. Thomas is who I suspect her to be, then she will surely abscond if she detects movements within the police. She must surely be wary of the authorities catching suspicions. You will move on my command."

"They move on my command, Earl-"

"And your command will be given when I give my command to you."

A mild staring contest ensued as Lord Randall shot a frightening scowl in Ciel's direction, who did not flinch, but merely looked at the old man as though he were simply beneath him. And in Ciel's mind, he was. Finally the Lord Randall relented and gave a huff of disapproval, which actually meant that he was giving his approval for the proposed course of action. Aberline's shoulders dropped as though a catastrophe had just been averted and the Undertaker merely giggled.

"If that is all, then we are concluded today, gentlemen."

Sebastian made his way to the door, holding it open for the denizens inside to exit. Lord Randall stormed out first, with Aberline closely behind on his heels, then Lau skipped out, followed by the Undertaker. At last Ciel and Sebastian and Elizabeth were the only ones left in the room. Paula, who had been waiting dutifully outside of the door the entire time poked her head in at last to see if her mistress required any assistance. But Elizabeth held up a staying hand, and Paula retreated back into the hallway.

Ciel approached the chair she was sitting in and offered his hand. She did not take it.

"When you agreed to include me in this circle, I did not expect to remain an accessory on your arm."

Her comment was biting and somewhat uncalled for, but Ciel had an equally provocative response.

"When you asked me to make you privy to my actions, I did not think you had a death wish."

"You never let me actively help in anything, I wonder if there's any point in my being here."

"You are a member of the underground within the conditions I specified. You are welcome to leave at anytime. No one is forcing you to be here, Duchess."

Elizabeth sighed, then took Ciel's hand at last, allowing him to help her to her feet. Laying a hand on her stomach, she looked at him remorsefully.

"You know I won't do that, Ciel."

"And you know I will never allow you to be put in harm's way, Elizabeth."

Smiling softly at the words that betrayed Ciel's stoic, uncaring demeanor, she began to move towards the door. Yes, she knew that she was cared for. In his own way, Ciel did the best that he could to care for other human beings. It wasn't a deep caring, most would call it selfish at best, but Elizabeth knew that it was the best he could do. She would forever love him as her cousin, her former fiancee, he was her first love. She had to admit, she was happy that he allowed this much in order to let her stay by his side. Despite being married to another man and living an entirely different life now, she was permitted this small tie to a past she couldn't help but treasure, despite its dark secrets.

"Until next time, Earl Phantomhive."

"Next time, Duchess."

The titles were back, it was time to return to the facades they wore in public. They were nothing more than cousins now, the proud Earl Phantomhive and the graceful Duchess Grosvenor. Her visit had been nothing more than a casual afternoon tea. She had come to tell him the happy news of her being with child. He had been the gracious host, glad to hear the news and would later surely invite her and her husband over for dinner to celebrate. They were keeping family ties intact.

Paula accompanied Elizabeth down the hall, where Tanaka was waiting to lead them outside. Ciel did not see them to the door. Instead he headed the opposite way to his office, and watched her leave from his window. She knew that he always watched from that view and that he preferred it to seeing her off in front of the grounds. She always looked back and smiled just for that reason, even if she couldn't always see him. Though she never saw it, she knew that Ciel always gave a small wave as her carriage pulled away. And that was enough.

Ciel's thoughts were interrupted by a silken voice behind him, from the butler that never left his side, like his own shadow on the ground.

"You seem displeased that the Duchess is with child."

Ciel gave no answer.

"She was positively glowing. Motherhood has afforded her an entirely new grace, do you not agree?"

"You're awfully talkative today, Sebastian."

"My apologies, my lord."

Ciel turned from his window at last and took his seat in the giant armchair that stood behind his desk. Entwining his fingers together, he placed his elbows on the desk and peered up at Sebastian from behind his gloved hands.

"I'm happy for her, truly. The child will keep her away from here. As she loves the child more and more, the more she will fear for her own life and the life of her child. She will be reminded of what happened to my family, and whether consciously or not, she will begin to keep her distance."

"How very kind of you, my lord."

Sebastian smiled his knowing smile. He was sure that Ciel wanted nothing more than to be as heartless as he himself was. Emotions and family were a hindrance to his lifestyle and the goals he pursued. But try as he might, Ciel was still human, still capable of caring, and still cared deeply for his cousin, the young Duchess. Such thoughts used to bother Sebastian, but now it simply amused him. It was the sort of deep caring that led Ciel to keep her at an arm's length at all times. To actually care about her happiness and safety meant keeping her away from him, which he tried his best to do. But what his master felt for him was something else entirely. It was a dependent, selfish kind of caring, if one could even call it that. He used him, abused him, relied on him for all his needs without giving anything in return. Somehow it pleased him. Sebastian preferred it to anything else Ciel could have given. Whatever he suffered now mattered not, because once their contract is completed, Ciel would give him everything. He nearly licked his lips at the thought.

Ciel could feel Sebastian thinking such thoughts and sighed. The demon was truly wearisome at times. Or maybe it had been because Elizabeth had been over. He wasn't really sure, he didn't really care.

"The time is soon, isn't it?"

"That all depends on you, my lord."

"Of course it does."

Ciel paused for a little while, knowing that certain things would have to be put into order before he allowed Sebastian the pleasure of consuming him. First things were first, however.

"Sebastian."

"My lord?"

"I forbid you from contracting with Elizabeth after this."

"Such affection, my lord. Could you possibly love her?"

"We were betrothed once. I am honoring the commitment I broke in the only way I can. Do as I say."

The answer was not immediate, but when it came, it was the same as it always had been and always will be.

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

**Notes**:

Elizabeth's new name belongs to her husband, Hugh Grosvenor who was the first Duke of Westminster, a title created by Queen Victoria in 1874.

Thomas was one of the many aliases used by Amelia Dyer, one of the most prolific baby farmers in history. She is suspected to have been responsible for the murder of around 400 babies over the years and is sometimes nicknamed "Jill the Ripper."


End file.
